In The Valley Of The Diamond Dogs
by Black Dragon62
Summary: Rated for language. After the war, things don't turn out the way everyone planned. Takes place 6 years after the war ended. Multichapter. 121, Shonen Ai. Complete
1. Ladystardust

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing.... Damn...  
  
Pairings: Eventual 121, maybe some 343, haven't decided as of yet.  
  
Warnings: Eventual Shonen Ai, maybe violence, and Rock n' Roll baby.  
  
Notes: The title for this fic came to me when was listening to a David Bowie song, of course the song was called Diamond Dogs, it's a kickass song and I recommend that you all have a listen to it some time. Just a short rant on Bowie, he's a gifted musician and a killer song writer and I took a que from his work and decided to come up with something of my own. So in short, major thanks to David Bowie for being my muse, as most musicians are, and to the boys of GW for being my puppets in this little play. Now, Ladies and Gentlemen... Take your seats... And Enjoy the show. Curtains part  
  
In The Valley Of The Diamond Dogs By Black Dragon62  
  
Chapter 1: Ladystardust  
  
'So, here I am. Just sitting in this over stuffed trailer, with people waiting on my every whim. Bringing me the best food, and only bottled water, and the best things that money can buy... What else would someone expect from a rockstar? I have it all it seems. Money, big houses, money, expensive cars, money, a boat, and did I mention money? I have it all, and I should be one of the happiest people in the galaxy, and why? Because for the past 6 years, I have been recognized as an intergalactic star. One of the best in the business. All my shows sell out, my records shoot to the top of the charts, and stay there till I release another... but why am I feeling so crappy? I know it's a cliche for a rockstar to go through a melo- dramatic depression, but I can't seem to help it. I've felt this way since my career began. Now I'm 21. Why do I still long to be 15 again? Shit, when I was 15, there was a fucking war going on, people getting killed, innocent and guilty alike. But it still didn't make it right. One death didn't justify the cause for another. And I fought in the war, to end the suffering of others, and my own. But, here I am, again in the prissy trailer with idiots at my beck and call. All I wanted back then was an end to it all, it didn't matter to me who won or lost, who died or lived, as long as it all ended; actually, I did want someone to win... me. And all the other people who stood for what I did, but all those memories are long and buried, along with the old Duo Maxwell, Death Scythe, and most of all, Shinigami. The new Duo Maxwell was born from the old, from the blood stained hands came the guitar, from my psychotic screams of warfare came my screams of melodies and harmonies, and from my pain, came my songs.'  
  
Duo sat on a plush green couch, contemplating nothing in particular, when he was brought to reality by a gentle voice and tender eyes. A hand settled on his shoulder in comfort, as well as in command.  
  
"Duo, get up. You're on in 3 minutes. I need you to get changed and onstage in less than that. So MOVE YOUR ASS!" Yelled the tiny woman in front of him. Hilde smiled and let out a laugh when she pushed him off the couch and onto the floor. She reveled in the indignant sound coming from the body on the floor.  
  
"How many times do I have to tell you to stop doing that! I don't have much of an ass to begin with, and I'd like to keep whatever I have left! Geez Hilde, if you want me to hurry up, you could do it with a little less violence." Duo picked himself off the floor, and dusted off his black jeans. He quickly shot a grin to his manager and then ran off to his dressing room inside the arena. He easily made his way through the pack of roadies and arena personnel, and quickly slipped inside his room.  
  
'Nice digs.' His eyes roamed through all the thing in the room. A few couches, a dressing table, and a full length mirror. Vases and baskets of assorted flowers and fruits were strewn amongst the room with various noted of flattery and praise. He walked over to the full length mirror, and looked himself over carefully. From the tips of his feet, to the chestnut topped head, he looked at his weary reflection and then quickly turned away. 'Why do people like me? Why do they follow me?' He shook that thought off and headed towards the rack with his changes. He sorted through the garments and pulled out a black jacket, black pants, and a blue shirt. He brushed his hair and quickly tied it into a tight braid. He looked at himself again, and made his way out of the door.  
  
"2 minutes Mr. Maxwell."  
  
"Thanks." He said to the stage manager. He walked steadily, his long braid swinging back and forth. He walked towards backstage, he took a quick peek from behind the amps at the crowd.  
  
"HEY!"  
  
"Jesus! You scared the proverbial shit out of me Hilde." He grabbed at his chest and tried to slow his breathing. "How many times have I told you not to sneak up on me like that. Shit. I almost had a bloody heart attack."  
  
"Sorry. Couldn't resist." She giggled a bit, then calmed herself. "Ok. They are going to introduce you now. When they call you, go onstage, and your guitar is on the left side of the mic stand. Have a good show, and try not to blow it." She gave him 'V' for luck.  
  
"Geez..." He said with sarcasm, "You give me tremendous moral support you know that?"  
  
"Here for you tonight, the one you've all been waiting for.... DUO MAXWELL!" The crowd erupted into a roar as Duo took a deep breath. 'That's my cue.' He walked slowly on stage. The crowd cheered and whistled and clapped. Duo carefully made his way towards the mic stand. And stood facing the crowd. He lifted one thing finger to his lips and commanded that the crowd be silent. There was a hush among the crowd as he lifted his violet eyes to stare out at the ocean of people.  
  
He took a breath. "Tonight, I would like to start a little different." A piano solo started. And Duo began to sing.  
  
"People stared, at the makeup on his face,

Laughed at his long black hair, his animal grace,

The boy in the bright blue jeans, jumped on the stage,

Ladystardust sang his song of, darkness and disgrace.  
  
And he was all right,

The band was all together,

And he was all right,

The song went on forever,

Yes he was awful nice,

Really quite out of sight.

And he sang all night long,  
  
Femme fatals emerged from shadows to watch this creature fair,

Hoisted up on their chairs to make their point of view,

I smiled sadly, for a love I could not obey,

Ladystardust sang his songs of darkness and dismay.  
  
And he was all right,

The band was all together,

And he was all right,

The song went on forever,

Yes he was awful nice,

Really quite paradise.

And he sang all night long,  
  
OOH how I sighed, when they asked if I knew his name,  
  
And he was all right,

The band was all together,

And he was all right,

The song went on forever,

Yes he was awful nice,

Really quite paradise.

And he sang all night long."  
  
The song ended and the crowd was silent. "That was a David Bowie song. And a tribute to friends I knew... long ago." The crowd erupted once again into cheers and whistles. Some of the women swooned and cried at the sound of his voice. Duo looked around, and saw that Hilde gave him a silent nod of approval and a knowing smile. Duo returned the smile and started again into the mic. "Ok, now that that's over... How you motherfuckers doing tonight?! Well, you sound crazy, but I bet I'm the craziest motherfucker here! Alright boys, hit it!" And the show began...  
  
To Be Continued...  
  
Author's End Notes: So, you like? I chose Ladystardust, because that is actually my favorite song. And it'll get a lot more interesting as the story goes on. This is my first multi-part GW fic, so please, be nice, and review. Review's are food for the author' soul. Thanks to all. And Thanks to Bowie for the inspiration and song. Please Review!!!


	2. Starman

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing.... Damn...  
  
Pairings: Eventual 121, maybe some 343, haven't decided as of yet.  
  
Warnings: Eventual Shonen Ai, maybe violence, and Rock n' Roll baby.  
  
Notes: Ok, so I hope you liked the first part of the fic. I worked hard on it, and I just wanted it to be something that everybody could like. Except for the language and violence, there really aren't any warnings attched to the next few parts. Again this is my first GW fic, and I think that I will improve in my story telling as the story goes along. So, I would like to thank everyone who supports me, and to all the readers I would like to say: Enjoy.  
  
In The Valley Of The Diamond Dogs

By Black Dragon62  
  
Chapter 2: Starman  
  
"Great show Duo. You knocked em dead. They fuckin' loved you. I've never seen a crowd that riled up before." Hilde said as she and Duo entered the lavishly decorated room. "You did great. I want you to know that I'm proud of you." She stopped and turned to look him in the eyes. "I know you sang the first song for the guys, and I want you to know that if they were here with us today, they would have loved it."  
  
"Geez Hil, you make them sound like they're dead." Duo answered as he threw his jacket across that room and onto the dresser. He took a seat on the plush couch and took his boots off. "They're not dead, you know that as well as I do. And how did you know that the song was for them? Could have been for anyone, like Relena or Dorothy or someone else you know."  
  
Hilde shook her head in amusement. "It had to be for them. And I know that for a fact. Because: A. You don't like Relena, and you wouldn't sing it for Dorothy, and B. You sing that song on this day every year... the year you guys split up." She looked at him solemnly. He was looking at his feet, clenching and unclenching his toes. She regretted saying the last bit. "But hey, you don't have to justify yourself to me."  
  
Duo looked at Hilde with mild interest. "I'm not justifying myself, I just don't see why everything I do, has to do with... them." He sighed. "Maybe I just like the song." He looked at her with pleading violet eyes. "So can we please just drop it." He looked away for a moment, gathering his thoughts.  
  
"Ok. I got some stuff to do before we get going again, so, just hang here till I come get you. We might grab dinner then head to the next venue." Hilde turned to go, but stopped, she looked over her shoulder and looked at Duo. "You did good." Then she left.  
  
'Right, good. Then why does it feel like I blew it?' Duo sat there in the same spot of the couch he had been sitting in for the past forty minutes. Struming his guitar in a casual manner. 'I wonder what they are up to? I wonder what their lives are like.... I wonder if they are ok, I wonder where they live, I wonder if they have seen me perform or heard me on the radio or seen me on tv? I wonder..... Do they think about us? About what we used to be? About me and how I turned out?' He put his guitar down and got up, he walked over to his book bag and dug in it until he found an old tattered piece olf paper. Duo looked at the picture, and smiled. 'God! We were so young! Look at me?! I'm still the same, maybe a little older. There's Quat, same as I remember, blond hair, aqua marine eyes full of compassion and love. Trowa, or as I used to call him, uni-bang, the one green eye, always looking at us with a solemn gaze, with the body of a dancer and the grace of a deer. Wufei, God I miss fighting with him, teasing him, making his life hell in general, all about the Chinese honor and code of men, justice and blah blah blah. I miss them all so much. And Heero.... Heero. Dark chocolate hair, always in the same mess, looks like it was never brushed or like he just woke up. Lean body of a soldier, but with such grace, such grace. And set in a beautiful solemn face, those eyes... Those dark cobalt blue eyes, the eyes that haunt me in my dreams, the color of the night sky that I stare at every night, pretending those are his eyes. Heero... where are you?'  
  
"Duo. Time to go." Hilde walked into the room and put her hand on his shoulder. She looked at his face and ignored the mist clouding his eyes. "We've got to get going. Otherwise, we'll never make the venue in three days. Come on."  
  
Duo sat in silence by himself on one side of the shuttle. He stared out the window and watched as he saw what was left of the colonies pass by in blurs. His mind still thinking, contemplating, and berating. Suddenly he grabbed a pen and paper and began to jot down thoughts. 'There's a starman, waiting in the sky, He'd like to come and meet us but he thinks he'd blow our minds, There's a starman waiting in the sky, He told us not to blow it, Cause he thinks it's all worth while, He told me, Let the children use it, Let the children use it.'  
  
"What'cha doin?" Hilde walked over and looked over Duo's shoulder. "Those are the lyrics to Bowie's 'Starman', you gonna do that song at the next venue?"  
  
"Hm? No, I was just thinking, and somehow that song got woven through my thoughts. Hey, Hil... Do you ever wonder what happened to the others? I mean, Quat, Wu, Tro, and Heero?" He looked at her with tired violet eyes. She smiled softly at him, and understood what he was thinking.  
  
"Yeah, sometimes, when I'm lonely, or I think you are, like right now. I just hope that they are happy in their lives you know, that they are happy where ever they may be, and that hopefully, they think on us sometimes, on nights when the skies are quiet, and the stars shine like diamonds. So, to answer your question D, yeah, I do think about them." She walked over and took the pad and paper away from him. "Get some sleep," She kissed his forehead and walked to her seat. "we have a few days before we get to L4, and I need you well rested and sane when we get there. So goodnight, Starman."  
  
"Night." He laid his head back on the seat and drifted off into an uneasy slumber.  
  
2 and a half days later, they arrived on L4. Tired, dirty and hungry they checked into the hotel and unpacked only the necessities. I.E.: Tooth brushes, combs, brushes, and clean clothes. Duo settled on to his bed after his shower, and began to comb the tangles out of his long chestnut hair. 'And all the pain I put you through, I wish that I could take it all away... No, maybe it could work.' Working on song lyrics in his head, he completely missed the knock on the door.  
  
"Hey D, want food?" Hilde peeked through the crack in the door. Duo merely nodded, and she threw a bag of burgers and fries at him and closed the door.  
  
'FOOOOOOOD' Duo dug into the food with gusto. He started to think back on his thoughts from 2 nights ago. He immediately stopped chewing and his eyes grew to almost an impossible size. 'Doesn't Quatre live on L4????' It was the only thought that kept running through his brain. The food quickly forgotten, he got onto his laptop and looked up the Winner family on the L4 directory. 'Well, that solves it. Quatre still lives with his family on L4, I think they own the colony or something, which is why I think they never moved. Should I?' Forty-three minutes and 34 seconds later...............  
  
Duo paced the room, the phone number to the Winner household in his hand in a death grip. 'Aw fuck it. I've been pacing this room for the past 40 minutes, SHIT I'll just call.' Duo stormed over to the phone and picked it up and dialed the number before he could change his mind. It rang and rang and rang...  
  
"Hello, Winner residence, Quatre speaking." Came the soft voice from the other side of the line. Duo couldn't talk or breathe. 'Aw crap.' "Hello?"  
  
'Now or never Maxwell'. He took a deep breathe. "Hey Quat. Long time huh?" 'At least I did it right?'  
  
The other side was silent for a long time. Duo wasn't sure if he had heard him or hung up, he listened carefully and heard soft breathing on the other line. "Yeah, it has been a long time. Hello Duo." The statement was said in a quiet almost hushed voice. Duo swallowed hard and tried to continue, but his voice was strained and harsh.  
  
"Yeah, it has." He looked down at his hands as he said that statement. Then he thought of the most obvious question. "So, how ya been?"  
  
"Good, I guess. You? How've you been?" Quatre was at a loss for words, so he opted for a casual conversation.  
  
"Good. You know, I travel a lot now, and I have things that always need to be done." He breathed a sigh of relief, and laid back on his bed, starring at the ceiling.  
  
"Yeah, I know. I've seen your shows on tv. You look good. And at least you're doing something that you always said you wanted to do. Be a rockstar. I caught your last show on tv, and I heard your dedication.... was that to us?" Quatre wasn't hoping for an answer, but just had to say it.  
  
"Yeah, it was for you guys. I miss you. I have missed everyone since the war ended... and we all.... split up."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"So have you kept in touch with any of the guys? Trowa, Wufei or Heero?" Duo held his breath, he wanted to know if his friends were still in contact at least with each other, even thought they weren't technically in contact with him.  
  
"No actually. We all, like you said, went our separate ways. I have kept track of everyone though, even if I hadn't spoken to them."  
  
"Oh, you haven't even talked to Trowa?"  
  
Quatre sucked in a breath. 'He asks about Trowa...' "No, I haven't." Quatre said dispassionately. "Or Heero or Wufei. But I know where they are, and how they are doing."  
  
Duo listened emphatically. "How are they? Married? Kids? Pets? Where do they live? Are they in good health?"  
  
"Good, no, no, Heero has a dog, on Earth, and yes, they are all healthy." Quatre said calmly.  
  
"None of them are married? Heero has a dog? They live on Earth?"  
  
"Yes, they all live on Earth, but different parts of it mind you."  
  
"Hey Quat, I'm on L4 for a few days, wanna get together and have a little lunch? For old times sake?" Duo asked cautiously, expecting a line like, Ooh, sorry but I'm busy, or I'll have to check my schedule.  
  
"Sure, sounds good. How about this afternoon? There's a cafe on Honchu St, they have good food. Say about 3?"  
  
"Yeah, sounds great Quat. I'll see you there at 3." Duo let out the breath he hadn't been aware he was holding in.  
  
"Ok, I'll see you later Duo. Bye."  
  
"Bye." And both hung up their phones. Duo looked at his watch and saw that it was 11:30, but the clock on the wall of the room said 10:30. 'I forgot time changes on the colonies. It'll be good to see Quatre again. Have long talks like we used to. Maybe then I'll find out about the guys. Find out what Heero's been up to these past 6 years. But I'll take a nap for now.' With that last thought lingering in his mind, he laid back and turned over for a nap.  
  
To Be Continued....................................  
  
So, how do you like it so far? Good? Let me know, give me feedback.... Please Review!


	3. Memory Lanes And Dead Ends

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing.... Damn...  
  
Pairings: Eventual 121, maybe some 343, haven't decided as of yet.  
  
Warnings: Eventual Shonen Ai, maybe violence, and Rock n' Roll baby.  
  
Notes: Ok, so I hope you like the fic so far. I'm working hard on it, and I just wanted it to be something that everybody could like. Except for the language and violence, there really aren't any warnings attached to the next few parts. Again this is my first 'long' GW fic, and I think that I will improve in my story telling as the story goes along. As a side note, as a musician, I appreciate good music, and since I don't want to publicly post my OWN lyrics as parts of this fic, I have decided that Duo's songs will be songs by other artists. They will be noted at the beginning of each fic, as I do not want it to seem like I stole their music, rather than borrow it for my own purposes. So, with that said, I would like to thank everyone who supports me, and to all the readers I would like to say: Enjoy.  
  
In The Valley Of The Diamond Dogs

By Black Dragon62  
  
Chapter 3: Memory Lanes and Dead Ends  
  
Duo sat there and waited patiently, his mind backtracking and going side to side up and down. He was waiting for Quatre, who would show up in less than three minutes. _'What if he forgot? What if he meant 3 tomorrow? Why the hell am I so nervous? It's just Quatre.... But still, six years is a long time to be apart, even for people who were as close as we were. We were friends for a long time, is a year a long time? It seemed like it, the way I grew up, I was lucky to know people for a couple of days, let alone a year. But those guys, they were different, they were like, me.' _Duo lifted his eyes to the street, and saw a familiar figure walking towards the cafe in long determined steps. Blue vest flapping gently with each stride, and strawberry blond hair bouncing like leaves in a breeze, and a pair of clear aquamarine eyes full of happiness and relief shone from a cheerful face. He walked over to the table that Duo was sitting at, and smiled broadly. Duo got up from his chair and looked his friend in the eyes. _'He's grown.'  
  
_"Hey." Duo said softly, with a rueful grin on his cherubic features. Quatre looked at Duo for a second, and then jumped into his friends arms and embraced him as if he were just a phantom that was about to disappear. Quatre lifted his head and looked at Duo through tear filled eyes and smiled. "Hey, it's ok Quat. I'm here, you don't gotta cry."  
  
"I know. It's just that it's been so long since I've seen you and... I'm just so happy to see you again!" He hugged his friend again. Then let go and motioned for Duo to take a seat while he took the adjacent seat. "So, tell me, what brings you to L4?" Quatre started the conversation.  
  
Duo shrugged his shoulders. "Eh," he said nonchalantly, "Got a show tomorrow night at the coliseum. It's sold out I think. But you're welcome to come as my guest, if you want." Duo looked at his friend optimistically.  
  
"Sure, sounds like fun. I've never been to a concert before, it should be great." Quatre smiled, he was practically beaming. "So, how did you know I lived on L4?"  
  
"Oh. I looked you up in the directory, I remember you telling me years ago that your family owned a house on this colony, so I just thought I'd give it a shot and, here we are." Duo smiled at Quatre, and lifted his coffee to his lips and took a gulp. "I just didn't know how you would react to me calling, especially after 6 years of no communication."  
  
"Oh. I honestly didn't know what to say. I never really thought anyone of us would try and bring the ties that held us together back again, but I always hoped. And, hoping brought you to L4. And I am glad you called. I always wanted to say that I was friends with a celebrity." Quatre started laughing.  
  
"Haha, I always said I had a rich friend on L4, but I always considered you a friend Quat, one of the best." Duo smiled at Quatre sincerely. Then breathed a sigh. "So, what have you been up to these past 6 years? Have you gotten married? Got a wife and kids somewhere? So, tell already, you already know what I've been up to, shit, probably everyone knows. My life isn't exactly a secret anymore."  
  
Quatre looked at Duo, and smiled slightly before answering. "No, I'm not married. I don't have any children, and yeah, I do know what you've been doing since we went our separate ways. I'm actually the head of my father's company now, Winner Enterprises, I have been since I turned 18. I haven't found anyone that I've wanted to spend my life with. I guess I just haven't found anyone who held a special place in my heart."  
  
"Except Trowa." Duo looked into Quatre's startled eyes, and looked seriously for a moment, then threw it casually aside. "You know, we all knew, except maybe you and Trowa. We knew you two loved each other, just that you never made a move. Either of you. And I thought you guys were meant for each other. Guess I was wrong."  
  
"Maybe, or maybe I was just scared." Quatre looked away, he was now fixated on his glass of water, and watching the drops of water drip slowly down the glassy side. Duo quirked an eyebrow at his quiet friend, he waited patiently for him to elaborate. "I knew how I felt about him, and how he felt about me... I know he cared about me, he cared about all of us, it's just that, I never took the chance to find out if it could have been more you know?" Quatre lifted his head and placed it on his crossed arms. Eyes looking up into Duo's face. "And I've always regretted it."  
  
"So why don't you do something about it? You know he lives on Earth, why don't you go say hi? Or have you stopped thinking about him? Loving him?"  
  
"I've never stopped. And, I can't do that! Not everyone can be as brash as you are Duo. You've always gone head on in your determination, never caring about the outcome, just as long as it got done. I can't do that." Quatre sat back and looked at his friend with a stern look. He brushed away the blond hair that fell into his eyes.  
  
"Hey, I've always been spontaneous, but I've never been THAT reckless. And what's wrong with taking chances?" Duo smiled ruefully at his solemn friend. "Come on, it won't be as bad as you think. What's Trowa been up to lately anyway? You said you kept track of everyone right?"  
  
"Yeah I did. You make me sound like a stalker for crap's sake. Trowa and Catherine live on Earth, in the country of Italy, they own a wine shop there."  
  
"So they gave up the circus thing?"  
  
"No, I don't think they could ever give that up. Catherine has an act with the Italian circus, she's still throwing knives at Trowa. But I think they only do their act 3 times a month. Don't exactly know why though." Quatre's eyes wandered into the street, and watched with a smile as a little girl walked by, holding the leash of a very big dog.  
  
Duo followed Quatre's gaze, and watch the scene with a smile of his own. "So, how's Catherine been? Happy?"  
  
"Yeah, Cat's been happy. She's married with a little girl, and another on the way. She's been married for about 4 years, and I'm sure Trowa had his issues with it."  
  
"I'll bet, you know how protective of Cat Trowa is. But, I'm glad she's doing good. She's going to have a liter I'll bet you anything." Duo and Quatre started laughing at the thought, Catherine with 5 children running circles around her and Trowa. When the laughing subsided, Duo got a wistful look on his face. "So, how's Wufei? Good I hope?"  
  
"Yeah, he's doing well. He is a teacher at a Martial Arts school on Earth's China. He teaches his students honor and discipline, all the stuff he tried to teach us. But, they listen to him, only God knows why." He chuckled.  
  
"Man, I feel sorry for those kids. But, at least he is teaching them responsibility and hopefully it'll keep 'em out of trouble." There was a bit of silence as Duo lifted his coffee cup to his lips for another sip. Quatre took his chance.  
  
"Aren't you going to ask about Heero?" Duo coughed and choked on his coffee. He breathed and gagged for a few moment.  
  
"Why do you ask?" Duo said shakily, trying to get his breathing back to normal.  
  
"No reason. Just thought you'd want to know about your best friend. And he's the only one you haven't asked about. Do you want to know what he's been up to these past 6 years?" Quatre looked at Duo for an answer, Duo merely nodded. "Well, he's ok. In good health, and has a good life. He lives on Earth's Japan, and is a school teacher. He teaches computer science 3 times a week, and then works for an electronics company the rest of the time. He lives with his dog Max." Quatre took a sip of his water, and waited for the information to sink into Duo's head.  
  
_'Hn, at least he's happy. A school teacher? Heero Yuy a school teacher?! Who would have thought that the galaxy's most perfect soldier, would become a school teacher?'  
  
_"At least he's happy." Duo said with a sad little smile.  
  
"So, you never told Heero either?"  
  
"There was no need, no point, and no future. So I didn't bother. I wasn't about to make an ass out of myself Quat. I do have my pride." Duo leaned back in his chair, with his arms crossed over his chest. "Give me some credit. We're not exactly 'star-crossed lovers'. We're just friends; Heero and Duo, friends, and nothing more. I walked away, with my dignity intact."  
  
"And a broken heart." Quatre finished for him. Duo's face became sadder somehow. He looked into his friend's eyes, and asked a silent question. "I don't know Duo... 6 years is a long time, for anyone not just us. Who knows."  
  
Both men were silent for a while. Then Duo's eyes lit up with an idea. "Hey Quat, can you take a couple days off?"  
  
"Yeah, I have vacation time coming up. Why?"  
  
"I have 4 shows left on my tour, and they are on Earth. How 'bout we go, and, have a little reunion?" Duo said with an impish grin.  
  
"Are you nuts?!" Quatre yelled, eyes the size of dinner plates. "We can't do that!"  
  
"Sure we can. So how about it?" Duo leered at Quatre.  
  
"Shit. I haven't been with you more than a day and already I'm in over my head." He breathed out a huge sigh. "Fine."  
  
"Ok, we leave in two days, so have your shit packed and ready to go!" The two of them discussed plans, and the past, and the future. About joyful reunions and anxious meetings.  
  
_'Two days till we get to go to Earth. I wonder what that's going to be like. Here goes nothing.'  
  
_To Be Continued.........................  
  
So, I've been updating this fic non stop for the past three days, and I hope it's all worth it. I love you guys's feedback! Please Review!!!!


	4. Seeing Stars

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing.... Damn...  
  
Pairings: Eventual 121, maybe some 343.  
  
Warnings: Eventual Shonen Ai, maybe violence, and Rock n' Roll baby.  
  
Notes: Ok, so I hope you like the fic so far. I'm working hard on it, and I just wanted it to be something that everybody could like. Except for the language and violence, there really aren't any warnings attached to the next few parts. Again this is my first 'long' GW fic, and I think that I will improve in my story telling as the story goes along. As a side note, as a musician, I appreciate good music, and since I don't want to publicly post my OWN lyrics as parts of this fic, I have decided that Duo's songs will be songs by other artists. They will be noted at the beginning of each fic, as I do not want it to seem like I stole their music, rather than borrow it for my own purposes. So, with that said, I would like to thank everyone who supports me, and to all the readers I would like to say: Enjoy.  
  
In The Valley Of The Diamond Dogs

By Black Dragon62  
  
Chapter 4: Seeing Stars  
  
_It's been two days since we landed on L4, and I've felt like I've been here for an eternity. Seems that long anyway. Being with Quatre, it brings back so many memories... And so many feelings I thought I lost a long time ago. Like reconnecting with your past, even though it was _only _six years ago, six years can change a person beyond recognition. It's like a computer, no matter how many times you delete the files, they'll always be on your hard drive. I got that analogy from Heero when we were hiding in a boarding school by colony 1278. I don't remember exactly what he said after that. I don't remember much of Heero to tell the honest truth; and I never lie. All I remember... is the year of companionship, loyalty, and friendship. It took him forever to trust me. But who could blame him? After all, I did shoot him twice to save Relena's life. A lot of good that did me. I miss all of my friends, dearly and truly. I can't exactly recall the weather the day we all parted paths, but I do remember the sorrowful goodbyes, and the heartfelt thanks... Thanks for being there, for being with me during the hell I knew too well. Anyway, back to my point. Quat and I are planning a trip to Earth, since I only have 4 shows left, and they are all on Earth, we are planning a little, shall we call it, and reunion? I just hope the others are as happy to see us, as we are to go and meet them. Now.... where did I leave my toothbrush?  
  
_Duo moved across the large hotel room, looking and packing at the same time. Underneath a pile of wrinkled clothes, was a very irritated Quatre. "Do you really have to fling clothes at me while I'm trying to organize them?"  
  
"Huh?" Duo stopped his search for his toothbrush, to sheepishly look at Quatre, who was standing next to his suitcase, more than a little disheveled. "Oh, sorry Quat. I guess I'm not used to people helping me pack, I usually fly solo." He smiled and continued his relentless search.  
  
"I know. But you could at least try and be a little more organized. For the love of God, what are you still doing with this?" Quatre held up a black, long sleeved shirt, with what seemed like a priest's collar at the neck.  
  
Duo stopped, and turned. He saw Quatre holding up the article, and smiled a small smile. He walked over to him and took it in his hands. "It was the same one I wore during the war." Quatre looked at him skeptically. Duo noticed the look. "No, it is, and it still fits. I just never wanted to get rid of it. Cause it reminded me of...... another life that I lived before I was a Gundam pilot. A life, that brought me so much joy, but also brought me extreme agony and despair." He looked at Quatre with solemn violet eyes, and carefully folded the piece of black material, and placed it at the bottom of the suitcase. Then straightened himself and began his search again. "Besides, it's always been my trademark, why mess with a good thing?"  
  
Quatre looked stunned, then let out a laugh. "Touche Duo. I remember making fun of you at the safe houses that were in the desert. You would sweat like hell, but you would never change out of those black clothes. You looked like a delinquent priest"  
  
"At least I never wore pink."  
  
"Hey! I'm comfortable enough in my sexuality to wear what I want." Quatre looked at him sternly. "Besides, it was a gift from my sister."  
  
"Which one?"  
  
"All of them."  
  
Duo looked up from the dresser, and laughed. "Geez, with 9 sisters.... No wonder you're gay." He laughed uncontrollably.  
  
"You're one to talk." Both laughed, and then began their task of packing again. "Hey Duo, how do you think the others will react? You know, to seeing us again."  
  
_Found you. Thought I'd never find you, you bristly little bastard. What? _"What?! Did you say something Quat?" Duo walked out of the bathroom holding his toothbrush in his left hand, and scratching the back of his head with his right. "I wasn't really listening."  
  
Quatre shook his head from side to side, letting his blond bangs fall into his eyes. "I was just wondering if the others would be as happy to see us as we are to go and see them. How do you think they'll react?"  
  
"Hm... I don't know actually. I try not to think about it." Duo looked at Quatre, and saw the man staring at the floor. "It's making you nervous I see." Duo walked over to his friend and sat next to him on the bed. "Look, it'll be ok, the worse that can happen is that they yell at us for not contacting them sooner, but we could also do the same. So, stop worrying and help me pack! We need to be outta here and on our way to Earth in 4 hours, and I'd like to at least on time." Duo slapped Quatre on the back, and walked over to the dresser and started to get his things out.  
  
4 hours and 24 minutes later......  
  
"I think we're late..." Duo looked at a very pissed off Hilde. Hilde stood with her hands on her hips, tapping her left floor in time with the twitching of her right eye.  
  
"Duo." She said in a very calm, yet menacing voice. "You were supposed to be here an hour ago.... It's 54 minutes later than we agreed. We had to bribe the shuttle pilot in order to wait for you... Where. In. The. Fucking. Hell. Were. You? And it better be good." Her right eye kept twitching, and both men just stared at it in fascination and eminent fear.  
  
"Heh." Duo laughed nervously, scratching the back of his neck. "Would you believe that we couldn't get a cab?"  
  
"There was a car waiting for you outside of the hotel lobby.... Try again."  
  
"Mm. Would you believe that all the elevators suddenly stopped a floor before ours so we had to take the stairs?" Duo smiled awkwardly. Then he noticed that the right side of Hilde's mouth started to twitch with her eye. _Oh shit. The only way I'm going to get out of this alive is if I tell the truth. I mean, I was just throwing out excuses and see if they worked, and they all went down in hellish flames. Ah well... _"Fine. Me and Quat lost track of time because we decided to take a nap before the flight, there, happy?"  
  
"You. Were. Asleep?!" Duo backed away from Hilde slowly. He saw her walk towards him with determined steps. He turned to run, but she grabbed his braid and yanked so hard that it brought his body down onto the floor with a very loud thump. Duo stared up at her with very big puppy eyes, but the woman was not in the mood. "Get your lazy ass on the plane." She said as she let go and stormed down the hall to where the shuttle was boarding.  
  
"You think she's mad?" Duo asked Quatre, who just sweatdropped.  
  
On board the shuttle, everyone was asleep except two young men, who were nervous wrecks.  
  
"How long till we get to Earth?" Quatre asked.  
  
"About 14 more hours. It was the same answer when you asked me 10 minutes ago, and it'll be the same answer 10 minutes from now, so save me the anguish and ask me in 13 hours." Duo looked out of the window, and watched as the clusters of stars and meteors passed them by.  
  
"Sorry, I guess I'm a little anxious to get to Earth, and see everyone."  
  
"I know, me too. Tell ya what, try and get some rest, you'll be incredibly jet lagged if you don't rest. I'll let you know when we are about to arrive ok?" Duo tried to sway his friend.  
  
"Ok. Will you be ok?"  
  
"Yeah, I'll be fine, don't worry." With that said, Quatre moved to another seat on the shuttle and went to sleep. Duo stared after him. Then he went back to watching the scenery. _Will he want to see me again? _Was the only thought running through his mind.  
  
To Be Continued.................................  
  
I know that chapter didn't say too much on the specifics, but I want to drag it out, and not rush into it. Many thanks to everyone who reads this fic and reviews. This one's for you guys. You know who you are. Please review!


	5. What Lies In the Dark

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing.... Damn...  
  
Pairings: Eventual 1x2x1, maybe some 3x4x3.  
  
Warnings: Eventual Shonen Ai, maybe violence, and Rock n' Roll baby.  
  
Notes: Ok, so I hope you like the fic so far. I'm working hard on it, and I just wanted it to be something that everybody could like. Except for the language and violence, there really aren't any warnings attached to the next few parts. Again this is my first 'long' GW fic, and I think that I will improve in my story telling as the story goes along. As a side note, as a musician, I appreciate good music, and since I don't want to publicly post my OWN lyrics as parts of this fic, I have decided that Duo's songs will be songs by other artists. They will be noted at the beginning of each fic, as I do not want it to seem like I stole their music, rather than borrow it for my own purposes. So, with that said, I would like to thank everyone who supports me, and to all the readers I would like to say: Enjoy.  
  
In The Valley Of The Diamond Dogs

By Black Dragon62  
  
Chapter 5: What Lies In The Dark  
  
"How long do we have until we get to Earth?" Duo asked Hilde impatiently. He fidgeted in his seat, wanting to get off that stupid shuttle.  
  
Hilde looked at her watch, then looked at Duo. "About half an hour. Stop asking. I know you want to get off the shuttle, you always act this way when we're about to land. In about 15 minutes we'll be in the Earth's atmosphere, and then it will take about another 15 minutes for us to land and head to the airport. And I know you want to see them again. So just calm down and breathe." She smiled reassuringly at him. Duo smiled back and sat back in his seat.  
  
"Thanks Hil. So, what's our first stop on Earth?" He looked at the back of her head.  
  
"Beijing.... China. The show won't be for a while so you can get some rest, and have a bath and a shave before then. But I don't see why it would matter. You shaved before we left L4 right?" She saw Duo nod and look out of the window again. She took a quick look at the itinerary again, and then threw a glance at Quatre who had been more than silent during half of the flight. The young man had been almost in a coma for the last 10 hours, only responding when poked. She decided it was time to come back to reality. "Hey Quatre," he looked up at her with a calm gesture, "What's up? You've been quiet for a while, something wrong? Or ya just nervous?"  
  
"A little nervous I guess. That's all it is, and as for the quiet, I've just been reminiscing our last days as gundam pilots. And everything that has happened in my life thus far, and wondering how they will explain and tell us their lives." Quatre looked down at his hands. "I've just missed everybody." He said in a hushed voice, almost lost to even the most perceptive ears.  
  
Hilde gave him a sympathetic look. She understood what both of them were going through, and decided not to press the matter. She leaned her head against the back of her chair and closed her eyes to the world, she imagined seeing Wufei again.  
  
"Ladies and gentleman. Please fasten your seatbelts and remove the trays in front of you. We will be landing in a few minutes. Thank you for enjoying your flight with Peacecraft airlines." The woman spoke over the intercom. Everyone proceeded to fasten their seatbelts, and awaited their landing on the Earth's soil. Meanwhile, Duo and Quatre had butterflies doing summersaults and back flips in their stomachs.

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"Hello, welcome to Beijing International Airport, I hope you will enjoy your stay in our country." The flight attendant said as they passed through the gates.  
  
Duo nodded and smiled pleasantly to them as they passed and walked collectively to where the cars were parked in front of the airport. Quatre looked around, taking in the surrounding buildings and people walking by. Then he looked up at Duo, who was wearing a hat and sun glasses, his braid tucked into the back of his shirt, with an expression on his face that said he hoped no one noticed him. Since they had been on a delayed flight, they had to land at a public airport, not the private airspace that Duo is used to, so they were surrounded by people, people who would go insane if they knew that the famous Duo Maxwell was among them.  
  
"Hey." Hilde said as she nudged Duo. She pointed at a black car with tinted windows. "That's our ride." She said in a hushed voice. They started walking calmly over to the car, but had to fight through the current of people going the opposite way.  
  
A tall, blonde haired man with a duffle bag on his shoulder was walking by Duo, but got a little too close and his elbow connected with Duo's right ear, knocking his sun glasses off of his face. Horrified Duo looked at the man that had accidentally bumped into him. The man felt horrible and picked the glasses off the ground and handed them to him, but not before getting a good look at his face.  
  
"Hey." The tall man said, one blonde eyebrow quirked up in a curious gesture. "Aren't you Duo Maxwell?"  
  
Duo blushed and put the sun glasses back on his face, but not before seeing 5 people look in his direction. "Sorry, I think you might be mistaken sir. Thank you for picking up my glasses." Duo said as he turned and walked hurriedly away. But not before hearing: "HEY IT"S DUO MAXWELL!!!" He turned slowly and saw a hundred people stampede their way over to him.  
  
"RUN FOR IT!" Yelled Hilde. They all took off running to the black car. They ran for their lives from the screaming people. And as a collective bundle jumped in the car, locked the doors, and took off in a flash. Once safely inside the car, they all breathed a sigh of relief, and hoped that the other crew got into their car without any notice.  
  
Quatre shook himself. "Does that always happen?" He asked incredulously. Both Duo and Hilde nodded their heads in acquiescence. "I would hate your life." He said as he looked out of the tinted window. Duo just sighed and did the same. They were going down a main street, Duo mouth the name of the street as they passed a stop light, 'Noin' was the name of the street. And it brought the face of a beautiful women with blue eyes and short blue hair to his mind, but that thought was quickly lost when they stopped at another light. He looked around, watched the people on the street walk by, little girls walking alongside their mothers, women with grocery bags, and men with business suits looking at their watches, and children running on the side walks. He smiled and continued his observation of Earth's China. Then, his mouth dropped open and he jumped out of the car in a flash.  
  
Hilde and Quatre followed bewildered. "What the hell is the matter with you? Don't you have any regard for your personal safety you fucking idiot?" She yelled at him. He paid no heed to her though. He was still looking at what had made him jump out of the car in the first place. "Are you listening to me?!"  
  
But his eyes were aimed upwards. To a small red sign on a thick oak door. There were no windows on the building, the building itself was like a box built of bricks and cement, but worn with time and rain. The small wooden sign on the door was the thing that Duo was staring at, and would have burned a hole through had he not blinked. Hilde looked at him, then looked at the sign, then looked over at Quatre, who's gaze was also fixated on the simple red sign. She turned back to the door and carefully read the sign. And her mouth dropped open. She looked at Duo carefully and saw that he was in shock. The sign on the door read: Chang Martial Arts, in simple golden letters.  
  
"Should we go in?" Quatre asked, afraid to hear the answer, and the inevitable action that would follow, the fear of coming face to face with someone they hadn't seen in 6 years. He looked at Duo, and saw that he hadn't moved, maybe even blinked since they had been standing there. Before they could do anything, he had stepped towards the door, and pushed the handle, and opened the door. They stared down a dark hallway, with no end in sight.  
  
Fearless and still stunned, Duo walked through the threshold and made his way down the hall. He left Quatre and Hilde behind on street, watching his retreating form be swallowed by the darkness from within. They looked at each other, then at the dark hallway, back at each other. They shrugged their shoulders, took a deep breath, and followed their friend, who was no where in sight.  
  
To Be Continued.........................  
  
So you it like so far? Did I make it too much of a cliffhanger for ya? I know it was short, but that's all I could write before I had to study. And to answer a question, in the next few chapters I will go into more detail, with each pilots appearance of course. But Please Review, and if you have anymore questions, I'll be more than happy to take them into consideration. Please drop some reviews!!!


	6. Over Egg Rolls and Tea

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing.... Damn... Song by Keith Urban. "Raining On Sunday"  
  
Pairings: Eventual 121, maybe some 343.  
  
Warnings: Eventual Shonen Ai, maybe violence, and Rock n' Roll baby.  
  
Notes: _Ok, so I hope you like the fic so far. I'm working hard on it, and I just wanted it to be something that everybody could like. Except for the language and violence, there really aren't any warnings attached to the next few parts. Again this is my first 'long' GW fic, and I think that I will improve in my story telling as the story goes along. As a side note, as a musician, I appreciate good music, and since I don't want to publicly post my OWN lyrics as parts of this fic, I have decided that Duo's songs will be songs by other artists. They will be noted at the beginning of each fic, as I do not want it to seem like I stole their music, rather than borrow it for my own purposes. So, with that said, I would like to thank everyone who supports me, and to all the readers I would like to say: Enjoy._  
  
In The Valley Of The Diamond Dogs

By Black Dragon62  
  
Chapter 5: Over Egg Rolls And Tea  
  
_I sure hope I know what I'm getting myself into. Why do I do these stupid things?! Where the hell am I going? Am I going into a dojo? Or Hell? If Wufei owns this dojo, I think it would be a little bit of both. Well, in any case, there's no turning back now, since I don't know where 'back' is, I'll just keep going this way. Hey, what's that light? _Duo was walking through the pitch black hallway, up until then he had been feeling his way along the wall making sure it was a hallway and not the entrance into a labyrinth. He stopped abruptly and scratched his head. _How the hell do I know this is even Wufei's dojo? This is China by the way.... There could be a million people named Chang in this city, and they could be martial artists too; why did I assume that it was WUFEI Chang. Well, no going back now, if it's not Wu I'll just tell 'em I needed directions. _He finally reached a door. He looked at it and saw that it had the words Chang Martial Arts in the same gold letters as the sign that was outside. And underneath the words was the name of the master that taught there, and unfortunately for Duo, he couldn't read Chinese. He took a deep breath and pushed open the door.  
  
Duo stepped in through the door and took a look around. It was a typical dojo. Mirrors on the right side of the wall, and the floors were matted with light gray material. Punching bags here and there, and a weapons rack over on the far left side of the wall. On the walls were paintings of Chinese characters, with mountain in traditional Asian artwork. He was surprised and very impressed. _Wow. Wufei's done good. _He saw a light turn on on the opposite wall, there was another hallway.  
  
"Lee Shao, you are late again. And you know what happens when you're late-" Wufei stepped through the threshold of the other hallway and stopped. He looked at Duo with wide unseeing eyes. His mouth was parted as if he wanted to say something, but it was stuck in his throat. The two of them looked at each other for what seemed like a small eternity. Then Duo decided to speak.  
  
"Hey Wufei, long time huh?" Duo smiled awkwardly. One hand went to the back of his head, and the other went to his hip. He laughed uncertainly. Wufei still didn't move. _Say something dammit, don't just stare at me like that. You're creeping me out. He looks good though... Looks like the same old Wu, except maybe older, and... has he been working out? He's grown too...  
  
_"Yeah...." Wufei said finally. Gathering his bearings, he looked at Duo not like a phantom, but as an actual human being that was standing in front of him. He then fixed a stern look onto his face, "It has been a long time. Duo." He said coolly. In that moment, Hilde and Quatre walked in through the door and stopped a foot behind Duo. They both looked at Wufei with wide eyes. Quatre had an innocent and loving smile on his face, while Hilde had her jaw on the floor. They all stood there for a moment before another interruption walked, nay ran in. A small boy pushed past them, and ran towards Wufei.  
  
"I'm so sorry I'm late master!" The boy ran in and bowed and then proceeded to kneel before his teacher's feet. "I'm sorry! My mother wanted me to help her carry bags from the grocery store! I apologize master! Please forgive me!" The boy had his head bent down to the floor. He was trying really hard not to shake. _Damn, Wu-man had his students in check. _Duo thought.  
  
Wufei looked at the quivering student at his feet. Then he looked to the three in his door way. "Lee Shao, there will be no class today. Go to your mother. And next time, keep some dignity when you are late, I don't want one of my students fearing for their lives when they are late." Lee Shao stood and bowed to his master, then turned, looked at the strangers, and his mouth dropped open.  
  
"Hey, aren't you Duo Maxwell?" The child asked, tilting his head to one side, but his eyes squinting and searching.  
  
"Yup. The one and only." Duo said, trying to indulge the child. The child couldn't have been more than 12, but was extremely small for his age. The child looked at Duo with wide excited eyes.  
  
"Oh my God! No one's going to believe me! I am actually standing in the same room as the great Duo Maxwell! I have all your albums!" The child ran over to Duo and proceeded to jump up and down in excitement. "Can you sign my backpack?! Please?!" The child held up his book bag, and Duo smiled and signed his name on the bag.  
  
At that point, Wufei had had enough. He rolled his eyes and walked over to Lee. "Go home Lee Shao, today is the only day you will see my generosity, I suggest you take advantage of it while you can." He put his hands on his hips and gave his student a stern scowl. The child bowed and said his good- byes and ran home. "Aya, children." Then he turned to his visitors. Wufei looked at the way they were dressed, all casual, while he was in a typical Chinese outfit. A white silk Chinese collared robe with no sleeves, with a yellow sash and white silk pants. He sighed and walked over to the other side of the room, and stepped into the hallway. Then he turned back. "Are you going to stand there all day? Or are you going to follow me?" He walked through the lighted hallway and disappeared from sight. Duo, Hilde, and Quatre followed behind him.  
  
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx  
  
They walked up some wooden stairs, at least this hallway was lighted. The walls were painted a dark maroon color with white boarders. There were plaques and photographs on the walls. All of which were of Wufei's students, they were holding medals and trophies from various tournaments. And in each picture, Wufei stood apart, hands crossed over his chest, and a serious look on his face. They all observed until they stopped abruptly. Duo smacked into Wufei's back. Wufei snorted and opened the door they had come to.  
  
He stepped in and walked in to the extremely large room. The ceilings in the room were all at least twelve feet high. And they were held up by support beams, and in this room they had wide and tall windows. It looked like a renovated factory. They were standing in the living room, a wide coffee table in the middle with a red rug, the wooden floors shinned like they had just been polished. And there were leather couches, 3 of them, all surrounding the table. All in all, the room had a very nice feel to it, like a home. They all looked to where Wufei was, he was in the kitchen, boiling water.  
  
"Sit. Please." Wufei said without looking up. They all sat down, each one on a different couch. Wufei walked in with a tray in his hands. "I don't know if you've eaten, but if you haven't feel free to help yourselves." He set the tray down. On the tray were 4 cups of green tea, and in the middle was a pile of egg rolls with sweet and sour sauce in a cup besides the mound. Each took a cup and an egg roll, and proceeded to munch. Wufei took his cup and walked over to the window, he looked out at the busy street below. He waited until they were finished munching on the rolls before he started to speak. "It's been six years..." He was still looking at the street. And they were all looking at him. "Why come now?" He turned and regarded them with a sad look.  
  
Duo swallowed. Duo studied Wufei's clean shaven face, with his slick black hair pulled in his customary pony tail. And Duo thought the question was directed at him, so he decided to answer it. "We were in the neighborhood and decided to swing by." He said with a shrug. Wufei looked at him hard. And this made Duo flinch with nervousness. "Ok. I'm doing a couple of shows on Earth, and one happened to be in China. And Quat here told me you loved in China, and I thought it would be nice if we just, you know, caught up." He looked down into his tea cup, and watched as the green liquid went up against the side of the ceramic. He looked up and looked at Wufei. "It really is nice to see you again Wu."  
  
Wufei sighed, and smiled softly. "Yeah, it is nice to see you again... All of you." He walked over and took a seat next to Duo. "So, what have you all been up to these past six years?" He took a sip of his tea.  
  
"Not much really," Quatre began, making a light conversation. "I'm head of my father's company now, and Duo and Hilde have a show on the road that goes to almost all of the colonies. That's basically all there is to tell about us." They all nodded.  
  
"Hn." Wufei said as he took another sip of his tea. Then he set it down on the table.  
  
"So, what's been up with you? What have you been doing these last six years?" Duo asked. Looking to his right at Wufei.  
  
Wufei took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. "Not much really. Just running this dojo, and living out my life day to day. After the wars, I married Meiran, I was 15 then, and we moved back to China."  
  
"You old dog." Said Duo.  
  
"Really?" Quatre asked, suddenly very happy for his friend. "I haven't seen Meiran in ages. Where is she?" He looked about the room, and then back at Wufei, he saw that the young man had a very, strange look on his face... almost as if he was in pain.  
  
"Meiran," He said quietly, he looked at his hands. "Well, Meiran got pregnant when we were 18. She was so full of life and energy, and I've never seen her happier. She would talk about all the names she would name our son or daughter, she would always make and knit baby cloths by the window there," He pointed over to a chair that was by the large window, it still had some knittings on the seat. "We found out that we were going to have a son. And I've never seen Meiran glow with such beauty. I never loved her more than I did in that moment, her eyes shinning with iridescent light, and her face with a soft and enchanting smile."  
  
"I'm happy for you Wufei." Quatre said with a smile on his face. "What's your son's name? And how come you never sent birth announcements?" He looked at a solemn faced Wufei. And saw that Wufei looked like he was in excruciating pain. "Are you alright?"  
  
"I'm fine." Wufei said, letting out a shaky breath.  
  
"So, where is Meiran and your son?" Duo asked, curiosity peeked.  
  
"Meiran is, she was..." Wufei stopped and walked over to the window where Meiran's knitting was laying. He picked up the soft blue yarn in his hands and looked at it quietly. "Meiran and my son died during childbirth." He said finally. Everyone in the room was quiet. They all looked at the devastated husband and father to be. They all had broken hearts for their friend, and Quatre wept for him. Wufei looked at them with solemn black eyes. "After her death, nothing mattered to me. Nothing was more important to me than my wife and son." He rolled the knitting in his hands. He sighed again. "I'll never forget the day. It was a sign or something like that, Meiran always said the sky was crying when it rained. And it was, it was crying for her, and for my son."  
  
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"Hey! What's up with you guys tonight?!" Duo yelled over the crowd. "I got a special song for you guys tonight. I wrote it this afternoon and I just wanted to say, that it's dedicated to a special friend of mine. Wu, this one's for you. It's called Raining on Sunday." The crowd cheered, and then went silent when they heard the intro.  
  
"It ticks just like a Timex

It never lets up on you

Who said life was easy

The job is never through

It'll run us till we're ragged

It'll harden our hearts

And love can use a day of rest

Before we both start fallin apart  
  
And pray that its raining on Sunday

Storming like crazy

We'll hide under the covers all afternoon

And baby whatever comes Monday,

Can take care of itself

Cause we got better things we can do

When its rainin on Sunday  
  
Your love is like religion

A cross in Mexico

And your kiss is like the innocence

Of a prayer nailed to a door

Oh surrender is much sweeter

When we both let it go

Let the water wash our bodies clean

And love wash our souls  
  
And pray that its raining on Sunday

Storming like crazy

We'll hide under the covers all afternoon

And baby whatever comes Monday,

Can take care of itself

Cause we got better things we can do

When its rainin on Sunday  
  
And pray that its raining on Sunday

Storming like crazy

We'll hide under the covers all afternoon

And baby whatever comes Monday,

Can take care of itself

Cause we got better things we can do

When its rainin on Sunday"  
  
They watched as Duo swayed at the end of the song, then erupted into cheers and howls of excitement. Some women in the crowd were crying and screaming 'I love you Duo!' Wufei, Quatre, and Hilde all watched Duo on stage. A smile appeared on Wufei's face, and he silently mouthed the words, 'Thank You'.  
  
To be Continued...........  
  
Ya like?!!! I know I left out a big chunk before the song, but I thought and figured with the way the story was going, it would have been just mindless conversation. But I'll make up for it in the next chapter. And I know this one was long, and sad, but I just wantd to make it a little more interesting. Please drop some Reviews if you liked it!


	7. A Fortune Cookie And A Decision

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing.... Damn...  
  
Pairings: Eventual 121, maybe some 343.  
  
Warnings: Eventual Shonen Ai, maybe violence, and Rock n' Roll baby.  
  
Notes: _Ok, so I hope you like the fic so far. I'm working hard on it, and I just wanted it to be something that everybody could like. Except for the language and violence, there really aren't any warnings attached to the next few parts. Again this is my first 'long' GW fic, and I think that I will improve in my story telling as the story goes along. As a side note, as a musician, I appreciate good music, and since I don't want to publicly post my OWN lyrics as parts of this fic, I have decided that Duo's songs will be songs by other artists. They will be noted at the beginning of each fic, as I do not want it to seem like I stole their music, rather than borrow it for my own purposes. So, with that said, I would like to thank everyone who supports me, and to all the readers I would like to say: Enjoy.  
  
_In The Valley Of The Diamond Dogs By Black Dragon62  
  
Chapter 7: A Fortune Cookie And A Decision  
  
"Thank You China! Goodnight!" Duo yelled to the audience before walking off stage. It had been a 90 minute set, and he was tired and hungry. He walked over to where Hilde, Wufei, and Quatre were standing. He smiled and said, "I'm hungry."  
  
"You're always hungry." Hilde said to Duo. But she relented. "Alright, the guys are going to get everything packed up. So, get changed, and maybe take a shower, and then we can go out and get a bite before heading off to the hotel. Wufei, care to join us for dinner?" Hilde looked at her watch, "It's only 9:30. Unless you have somewhere to be?"  
  
Wufei shook his head. "I have no where to be. I would like to join you. I know a good Chinese place, considering we are _in _China, I don't think it would be so bad." He said with a slight smirk on his face.  
  
"Great! Meet you guys in half an hour alright?" Duo said as he walked off to the dressing room, undoing his braid as he walked.  
  
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34 minutes later........  
  
They got out of a black car with tinted windows. They all looked up at the neon sign that read, "Wok Master". Then they all turned and looked at Wufei. The young man looked at them with a smile.  
  
"Trust me, it's good." He said has he opened the door. As they walked in, a little bell on the door rang. Signaling the proprietor that he had some customers. A short Chinese man walked out of the backroom and greeted them with a bow. Wufei bowed to the man, and spoke something to him in Chinese. The short man nodded and walked them over to a secluded corner of the small restaurant, and they sat in a booth. He handed them all menus and bowed again, and said in choppy English that he would be back shortly. They all nodded and looked at their menus, they were all thankful that the menus were in English.  
  
"So, what would you suggest Wufei?" Asked Quatre, he was studying the menu and was trying to see what didn't sound too customary for his taste. Then he looked up at Wufei.  
  
"I would actually suggest you try the 'Peking Duck', it's very good here." He said, drumming his fingers on the wooden table. He was looking from left to right. And was looking a bit nervous.  
  
"Everything alright? You look a little tense." Hilde asked him, she eyed him closely, and tried to pry the information out of the young Chinese man. She looked at Duo on her right, and saw that he was absorbed in trying to find something on the menu that sounded remotely edible. Then she looked back across the table at Wufei, the drumming had ceased, and he was looking at her with solemn black eyes.  
  
"I'm fine." Short, concise, and to the point. That was Wufei for ya.  
  
The short man returned with a tray that carried four glasses of ice water, and removed a notepad from his pocket and a pencil from behind his ear. They all gave their orders, Quatre chose the Peking Duck, Hilde chose some Wonton Soup, and Duo chose the Chicken Chow Mien with a side of white rice and Wufei asked for the Shanghai Street Noodles. The man nodded and bowed, and went to the back to make their orders.  
  
The restaurant was quiet, considering they were the only ones there that late. They all sat in the uncomfortable silence, before Quatre decided it was deafening.  
  
"So, what's it like for you to be living in China? Is it different now after the war?" Quatre directed the question to Wufei.  
  
Wufei shrugged his thin shoulders. "Better than it was 6 years ago. I came back with Sally to help rebuild the villages that were destroyed during the war. And I settled in Beijing. Sally went to Shanghai, and I haven't heard from her since. But after I helped them rebuild, I decided to open a Martial Arts studio, as a way of income, and to teach the children in the province to defend what they love..." He looked down at his glass, and was lost in his own thoughts for a moment. Then he spoke again, "I wanted to teach them discipline, and hard work, and so far, I've done that."  
  
"Are you happy?"  
  
Wufei looked at Duo and shot him a confused look. "What?"  
  
"Are you happy?" Duo repeated. He looked across the table at Wufei, and watched him with his violet eyes.  
  
Wufei swallowed. He was thinking about what to say. _What's he thinking? Of course I am... Aren't I? I'm happy, sometimes.... maybe not everyday but it counts right? I..._"No." He said. They all turned to look and regard him with sad looks. "I haven't been happy since my wife died. And before that-" He looked at them all levelly. "The only other time I can remember being happy is when I was in battle, in my Gundam, with all of you." He bent his head once more. He missed the smiles on their faces, and the crystal tears that came to Quatre's eyes. He put his hand on Wufei's shoulder. "You all were, for a long time, like my family. My brothers. And an annoying woman." He saw Hilde scowl at him. "But, I did miss you guys."  
  
"We missed you too Wu-man." Duo said.  
  
Their food arrived and they proceeded to dig in with gusto.  
  
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"Man I love Chinese food!" Duo said, patting his stomach. "I'm so full..." He sat back with a contented smile. He looked at all of his companions, and saw that they had happy faces about them.  
  
"It's 11pm, I think we should get going." Hilde spoke to everyone. She looked at the time on her cell phone to make sure, and decided to get up.  
  
Just then the waiter brought them all fortune cookies.  
  
"OOOOH COOKIE!" Duo let out a dreamy sigh.  
  
"I thought you were full?" Quatre spoke to him. He saw Duo shrug and take a cookie off of the tray. They all reached and did the same. "You will find what was lost." Quatre spoke aloud. "What do you think it means?"  
  
No one was paying much attention, they were all busy reading their fortunes.  
  
Hilde read hers, "Beware of sudden ups and downs." She shrugged and tucked the paper in her pocket. She looked to Duo.  
  
"Mine's blank." Duo said.  
  
"Look on the back idiot." Hilde advised him.  
  
Duo turned the paper over and saw red letters scrawled on the white piece of paper. "'Love is it's own reward' What the hell is that supposed to mean?" He munched on the cookie, and turned to Wufei. "What's yours say?"  
  
Wufei had yet to touch his cookie. He picked it up and broke it in half, he pulled the paper out and read it carefully. "A journey awaits you" He said calmly.  
  
He looked up at the table and realized that everyone but Quatre had gotten up and was heading towards the door.  
  
Hilde looked back at him, "So ya comin or what?" She said with a smile. He looked down at the floor for a few minutes to consider. He finally nodded his head. "Good, we'll swing by your place, pack a few things, and we'll be off in the morning."  
  
They all headed out of the restaurant, and off to their hotel. Meanwhile Wufei walked up the stairs to his loft. _Am I doing the right thing? _Was his thought before he threw some things in a duffle bag and placed it by the door. _I hope I know what I'm doing... _Was his last thought before turning out the light.  
  
To Be Continued..................  
  
So what did you think? I'm deciding on a few things for the next two chapters. I hope you liked it! Drop some reviews with your thoughts! 


	8. Midnight Blue

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing.... Damn...  
  
Pairings: Eventual 121, maybe some 343.  
  
Warnings: Eventual Shonen Ai, maybe violence, and Rock n' Roll baby.  
  
Notes: _Ok, so I hope you like the fic so far. I'm working hard on it, and I just wanted it to be something that everybody could like. Except for the language and violence, there really aren't any warnings attached to the next few parts. Again this is my first 'long' GW fic, and I think that I will improve in my story telling as the story goes along. As a side note, as a musician, I appreciate good music, and since I don't want to publicly post my OWN lyrics as parts of this fic, I have decided that Duo's songs will be songs by other artists. They will be noted at the beginning of each fic, as I do not want it to seem like I stole their music, rather than borrow it for my own purposes. So, with that said, I would like to thank everyone who supports me, and to all the readers I would like to say: Enjoy.  
  
_In The Valley Of The Diamond Dogs

By Black Dragon62  
  
Chapter 8: Midnight Blue  
  
"I will return in a few weeks, if I'm not back by the end of the month, I will let you know in advance. Thank you again for doing this." Wufei spoke to a black haired man. He was tall and muscular in build, and had a solemn face and relaxed demeanor.  
  
"Hey, don't worry, you trust me right? Wufei, we've been friends for 10 years, I think you know I won't burn the place down." The man said with a smile on his face. He picked up Wufei's bag and pushed him out of the doorway and onto the street. Outside, Hilde, Duo, and Quatre were waiting for him. "I'll take care of things till you get back ok."  
  
"Thank you." Wufei said with a bow as he turned and headed towards the car. He looked back once and saw the man waving him off. He put his bag in the trunk and got into the car. The engine started and they were off to the airport. They all sat in silence for a few moments before Duo decided to speak.  
  
"Hey Wu-man, who was that?" Duo asked, thumb jerking towards the rear window.  
  
"That's Zhou," he looked at Duo's puzzled face and thought to elaborate. "He's Meiran's brother. Or in other words, my brother in-law. He's a good man, and I trust him with my life."  
  
_Enough said_. Duo thought. The rest of the way to the airport, they talked about everything from the weather to what color the street signs were. When they arrived at the airspace, Duo put on his black hat and sunglasses. He also tucked his braid into the back of his shirt. _Just to be safe... _He got out of the car, and walked to where their flight was boarding. They walked on calmly, no one making it seem like anything was out of the ordinary. When they arrived atthe gate, they all walked to the private airplane that would take the group to their next destination.  
  
Duo looked from side to side, making sure no one had spotted him. And let out a big sigh of relief when they were safely on board and alone. He sat down on at seat that had a window, and made it a point to look out of it as everyone took their seats, and arranged their carry-ons in the overhead compartments. The flight attendant walked over to one side of the plane and held out the airplane microphone.  
  
"Welcome ladies and gentlemen and thank you for flying Peacecraft airlines. I will now direct you to take your seats and to fasten your seat belts. I will remind you to keep your trays in the up right position-" She went on while Duo spaced out. _I don't even know where we're going next.... _"Thank you, and have a nice flight." She put the microphone back onto it's proper place on the wall of the plane and took her seat.  
  
The plane rumbled with the sounds of the engines, and they were pushed back into their seats by the inertia of the plane taking off.  
  
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"I can't believe you, of all people, have motion sickness!" Duo teased Wufei, as he was vomiting in a handy paper bag. "You! A Gundam pilot!" Duo laughed.  
  
"Shut up! You idiot! I haven't been on a plane in six years! I forgot that the inertia makes me sick! And-" He stopped talking as another fit of sickness over took his senses. He commenced to vomit into the paper bag while Duo, started to have fits of irrepressible laughter. "Shut Up!!!"  
  
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The plane was quiet. Nothing was heard except the gentle hum of the engines. Everyone was asleep. Duo looked at his watch. _It's past midnight. Well, China time anyway_. He sighed. _Hilde said we would be in Italy in 12 hours. She said that 3 hours, 4 minutes and 23 seconds ago, 24 seconds, 25- _He stopped his train of thought. _I am not going to be counting the seconds until we land, that's just sad. _He looked at his notepad and took a deep breath, and let it out slowly_. I might do this song when we get to Italy, but I might save it for my last show on Earth. _He looked out of the window, and saw nothing but the deep midnight blue sky with gray clouds splayed out across the sky like lint_. I should try and get some sleep. Everyone else knocked out about 2 hours ago. I don't want to be tired when we land. But I'm not all that sleepy to begin with either.... I had forgotten how beautiful the night sky is on Earth... Maybe if I close my eyes... _Duo closed his eyes, and drifted off into a light slumber.  
  
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"Duo."  
  
Duo shifted slightly.  
  
"Duo. Wake up."  
  
Duo was shaken lightly by a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Duo."  
  
He opened his eyes to look into very familiar eyes. Familiar cobalt blue eyes. He blinked and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, and blinked at the face that looked at him with worry.  
  
"Heero? Is that you? Heero?" Duo was baffled, he was looking into the face of Heero, he was there, sitting in front of him, with his hand on his shoulder. "How-"  
  
"Of course it's me. I was starting to worry about you. You were talking in your sleep again, and I thought you might have been having a nightmare." Heero said, standing up from Duo's bedside and walking across the room to his own bed. "You were mumbling something, and I couldn't concentrate."  
  
There was something wrong with all that Duo was seeing. He was in his bed, the bed he had slept in when he was in that boarding school in New Edwards, in the room he shared with... Heero. _But, how can this be? Wasn't I just on a plane headed towards Italy with Hilde, Wufei and Quatre? How is this possible. Wait... Heero is here, and said I was dreaming... could it have all been a dream? No, it was too real to be a dream, so is this a dream? Or is this reality? What the hell is going on?! And what the fuck am I doing here?! _Duo's mind was beginning to become irrational, so he put his hands on the sides of his head and grabbed at his hair. _This isn't real! This isn't real! This isn't real! This isn't real! _He was mentally screaming for reason, but when none came, he let out a scream that knocked him forward, burying his head in his knees.  
  
Heero ran to Duo and put his hands on his shoulders. "Are you alright?" Heero asked, his voice laced with concern. He lifted Duo's tear stained face, and looked deep into those hazy violet eyes. "Are you ok?" He repeated once again.  
  
Duo looked at Heero, his eyes brimming with unshed tears. He gulped in the air he so desperately thought would save him from his madness. He looked into Heero's eyes. "What am I doing here, Heero? Is this real? Are you real? Or am I-" He stopped as a wave of uncertainty hit him like a punch to the stomach. He gasped for air and closed his eyes, releasing the tears that were lingering on his eye lids. "Is this real, Heero? Is it?!"  
  
Heero looked into Duo's eyes, uncertain of what the other pilot was talking about. But decided to answer in the only way he knew how, the logical way. "Yes, this is real, I am real, you are real, this room his real, like the bed you're sitting in. What's wrong with you?"  
  
Duo let the answer process in his mind. And he looked at Heero again. _This is real... this is real... I'm real, Heero's real... That means he's really here, with me, looking at me with those eyes, those beautiful midnight blue eyes. Wait midnight? _Duo looked at Heero, again.  
  
"What time is it?" He asked tentatively.  
  
"A little past midnight. Why?" Heero cocked one eyebrow up in confusion.  
  
"oh, nothing, just-, never mind." He saw Heero shrug. They both were silent for a long moment, Heero's hands still on Duo's shoulders. Then, suddenly, he moved his right hand, and brushed his thumb across Duo's face, wiping away the drying tears that still lingered. Duo smiled_. I can't believe this is happening-  
  
_"I lied to you." Heero suddenly spoke.  
  
"That's one way to break the silence." Duo blinked with a grin on his face. But then it faded to a look of confusion. "Wait, you lied to me? What did you lie about?" Duo felt his heart drop into his stomach.  
  
"I think I'll tell you later, because you have to wake up now."  
  
Duo awoke with a start. What the hell was that? He looked around, and saw he was back on the plane. Sitting alone. He looked around and saw that everyone was still asleep. _Heero... _His mind drifted back to his dream. A tear formed in his eye, but he brushed it away angrily. _It was just a dream... Just a dream... _He thought sadly. He looked out of the window, and for the rest of the night, watched as they flew through the midnight blue sky.  
  
To Be Continued.................  
  
Fooled you didn't I? I hope you liked that chapter, it came to me last night and I just had to include it into this story. I hope you all enjoyed it, Leave me some Reviews!!! Happy fourth of July!


	9. Between Dreams And Reality

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing.... Damn...  
  
Pairings: Eventual 121, maybe some 343.  
  
Warnings: Eventual Shonen Ai, maybe violence, and Rock n' Roll baby.  
  
Notes: _Ok, so I hope you like the fic so far. I'm working hard on it, and I just wanted it to be something that everybody could like. Except for the language and violence, there really aren't any warnings attached to the next few parts. Again this is my first 'long' GW fic, and I think that I will improve in my story telling as the story goes along. As a side note, as a musician, I appreciate good music, and since I don't want to publicly post my OWN lyrics as parts of this fic, I have decided that Duo's songs will be songs by other artists. They will be noted at the beginning of each fic, as I do not want it to seem like I stole their music, rather than borrow it for my own purposes. So, with that said, I would like to thank everyone who supports me, and to all the readers I would like to say: Enjoy.  
  
_In The Valley Of The Diamond Dogs

By Black Dragon62  
  
Chapter 9: Between Dreams And Reality  
  
Duo stared outside of the airplane window as their plane was nearing the runway. He looked over and saw that everyone was just getting up from their sleep.  
  
Hilde yawned and stretched her arms over her head and rubbed her eyes. "Are we there yet?" She looked at Duo. Her eyes opened fully as she took in Duo's figure. "Are you alright D? You look like crap, didn't you get any sleep?"  
  
Duo winced a little, but forced a grin on his face. "We're almost there, we'll be in the airport in about 15 minutes, give or take a few minutes." He let out a slow breath. "I'm fine Hil, I got some sleep. Not a lot but enough."  
  
Hilde looked at Duo with her eyebrows cocked. "I'm not buying it. What's wrong?"  
  
Duo's grin was now a genuine smile. "Nothing's wrong. Stop worrying about me Hil, you're too young for your hair to be turning gray." He started to chuckle.  
  
"I have to worry about you. It's my job to worry about you."  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen, we will be arriving at the airport in 5 minutes. It's 12:45pm Italy time. Please remain seated until the aircraft comes to a full stop, please put your seat belts on and return your trays to the upright position. Thank you, and enjoy your stay."  
  
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When they arrived at the airport, everyone looked as tired as they felt. Hilde looked at her watch again. She sighed internally, she knew that the show would have to be on in 32 hours. _'Not much time for a good rest.' _She thought as she threw her jacket over her shoulder as they headed out of the airport, and to the nearest private car.  
  
All four of them where in the same black car, and all breathed a sigh of relief, relief that no one had spotted Duo, and relief that no chaos had ensued. Quatre leaned back a bit to look out side of the window. He watched as the Roman architecture and people whizzed by in noticeable blurs. "How long will we be in Rome?" Quatre asked, vaguely trying to conceal his anxiousness.  
  
Hilde smiled, she knew what he was talking about, he wanted to see what was here in Rome for him, _And I'm not talking about the art, _She thought with a tired smile on her face. "Four days, three nights. We have one show tomorrow night, then it's all just relaxing time till the airplane boards the day after that. Maybe we could do a little sight seeing.... Do some... Wine tasting maybe?" Hilde said with a smile on her face.  
  
Quatre turned a little red. And all had smug looks of satisfaction on their faces, all except Wufei, who had no Idea what everyone was talking about. "What's going on?" He asked, wanting to be let in on the secret. "What is everyone talking about?" He poked Duo in the ribs.  
  
"Oh, it's nothing really." He looked to Quatre, and asked him silently if they should let their friend in on what they were discussing. He saw Quatre give a defeated nod.  
  
"Might as well, we should not keep secrets from each other. He might find out later anyway, might as well explain now." Quatre reasoned, hoping that his friend would not disapprove of him.  
  
Wufei got a smile of victory on his face. "So Maxwell, spill, what is going on?"  
  
Duo smiled. "God Wufei, it's not a secret of national security. It's just that..." He stopped, smiling as he saw Wufei anxious, and also very annoyed that he had to wait for his answer. "It's just that Quatre has a crush on Trowa, who happens to live here in Italy." He said finally, noticing Quatre turn a scarlet color.  
  
"Is that it?" Wufei asked. Everyone looked at him skeptically. Wufei in turn, just looked out of his side of the window. " I thought it was something big. Oh well," He said, and then turned to look at Quatre with a smile on his face. "Good luck in any case."  
  
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They arrived at their hotel. Duo, Quatre and Wufei had agreed to share a room, since they needed more time to 'catch up' on things, and it would be nice for Duo to have some company. Hilde in turn, got her room on a different floor of their hotel, she figured if the three would be together, no doubt in her mind would she be hearing pranks being pulled at all hours of the night. So for her sanity and sleep hours, she opted for a different floor.  
  
Hilde was walking along the hall of Duo's floor. She had the itinerary in her hand, and was mentally going through the day's plan. _Hopefully, he won't be too upset at not being able to sleep some of the day away... _Hilde thought as she stopped at their door. She knocked once, twice, and on the third she kicked at the door.  
  
"What do you want Hilde?!" A muffled voice yelled from the other side. A smile crept onto her face.  
  
"I've got something for you!" She said in a singy-songy voice.  
  
"NO!" Yelled the voice.  
  
"But Duo! You don't even know what it is!"  
  
"I'm NOT doing an interview! Hell no I won't go!" Duo yelled from the other side of the locked door.  
  
"Please. I forgot all about it..." She lied, in fact, she had been offered the interview 10 minutes ago.  
  
"Shut up liar!" Duo mocked in a hurt tone. "You just want to make me suffer!" At that the door opened and Wufei let her in. "Wufei! You traitor! Why let the enemy in!" He put his hand on his hips.  
  
"If it will keep you quiet, I'm willing to do anything." He said, a smirk appearing on his face.  
  
Duo let out a big melo-dramatic sigh. "Fine." He said, throwing his hands up in the air. "Let me get a clean shirt on at least." He said as he walked towards the bathroom, pulling off his black dingy shirt in the process, allowing the residents of the room to get a good look at his back.  
  
"Hey Duo..." Quatre began.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"When did you get a tattoo?" Quatre said, a bit confused.  
  
"Oh that?" He saw them all nod from his position in the doorway. "I got it after the war ended. You know, after the whole Mariemeia thing."  
  
"What does it say?" Wufei asked, suddenly curious. "And why did you get it?"  
  
"It says Shinigami, God of Death in traditional Japanese Kanji. I got it as a reminder..." He put his dark blue shirt on and began to button the buttons. "As a reminder of what I had to become during the war, and what it left me with. I never want to forget about the peace we fought so hard for, and this way, I'll always know that I _am _Shinigami, I _am _the God of Death." He finished the last button, and he stretched his arms out and did a twirl. "Well, I'm ready, how do I look?"  
  
"Marvelous." All said in unison, also rolling their eyes.  
  
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The interview was to be at radio station in middle of the city, and it was supposed to be a quiet matter. And fortunately for them, no one noticed them pull up and step out of the car.  
  
They made their way to the DJ booth. Hilde, Quatre, and Wufei stood on the other side of the glass as Duo entered. He looked at them and smiled. He put the headphones on, and waited for the chubby Italian man to begin.  
  
"Hello Duo, how are you today?" The chubby brown haired man said in a slight Italian accent.  
  
"I'm fine," Duo said honestly. _Just get on with it.  
  
_"Alright, let's begin. So tell me Duo, how do you like our beautiful city of Roma?"  
  
"I think it's beautiful. I've never been to Italy before, but from what I've seen so far, it's rich in culture and beauty."  
  
"I'm glad you like it so much, how do you expect your show will go tomorrow?"  
  
They talked about his music and set up, meanwhile Hilde and the others watched from the outside. But luckily, they were able to hear what they were talking about. They all held their breaths when the DJ got bold and decided to go on a more personal level.  
  
"So Duo, everyone wants to know; is the anyone special in your life?"  
  
Duo gulped, he hadn't seen this coming, so he merely side stepped the question. "There are a lot of special people in my life. I'm lucky." Everyone outside breathed a sigh of relief.  
  
"What I mean is, is there a lady in your life? You know, a, how you say, girlfriend?" He prodded.  
  
"I can honestly say, there is no woman like that in my life." Duo said truthfully.  
  
"So there is no one you currently love? No one in mind?"  
  
_I can't lie! _He thought to himself. "I don't really think I should talk about my love life right now." He said, breathing deeply.  
  
"Alright, let's move on." _Thank God, _Duo thought. "Tell me, what is your inspiration for the songs you write?"  
  
"Truthfully, my life is my inspiration, most of my songs are autobiographical. What I think, feel, and go through, they are all fuel for my songs and music."  
  
"Well thank you, Duo Maxwell. Thank you for joining us today, this has been a special interview with the one and only Duo Maxwell, who's show will light up the stage at the Coliseum tomorrow night." The pudgy man stood as he turned off the 'On Air' sign, and stuck out his hand. "Thank you for joining me today, it was indeed a great pleasure."  
  
Duo shook the man's hand. "Likewise. But I believe I have others to see. Enjoy the show." Duo said as he walked away and out of the radio station. He entered the black car and breathed a sigh of relief_. At least that's over with_. He thought as he closed his eyes and ears to the hustle and bustle of the world outside.  
  
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Duo opened his violet eyes. _Was I walking a minute ago? Where am I? _He mentally asked himself as he walked through a long steel corridor. This seems so... real, and familiar... He rounded a corner and ended up in a large hanger. His eyes almost bugged out of his head when he looked upon a very familiar face, the face of one whom he had trusted with his life, the one he achieved peace with. He was looking into the large metallic face of Deathscythe. The black giant was on it's back, it's arms to it's side, peaceful, and calmly it laid on the hanger floor.  
  
He raked his eyes over the figure, _But.... I destroyed you.... didn't I? _He thought, eyes never leaving the figure. Until his eyes caught a movement out of the corner of his eye. _It couldn't be...  
  
_He saw Trowa and Heero walk across the hanger together, they stopped by the doors, and Trowa turned to say something, then was gone. Heero stood there, looking at something that Duo could not see from his vantage point.  
  
"You can come over Duo." Heero's baritone voice bounced off of the metal walls.  
  
Duo blinked, and in less that a minute, he was in front of Heero, he hands on his hips. _God, he looks so... young... _"You know Heero," Duo began, "it's creepy the way you always know when I'm lingering in the shadows. I have a stealth reputation to uphold you know. Lucky for you, I let you know where I was."  
  
"No, your noisy footsteps let me know where you were." Heero said, voice a simple monotone. He sighed and fixed his Prussian blue eyes on Duo's cherubic face. "I have something I want to say..."  
  
"Then say it."  
  
Heero took a deep breath. He let it out slowly as he looked into Duo's face. "We were meant to live... for so much more, but do you think we have lost ourselves? And do you believe that somewhere we live inside?" Heero took a step closer, and leaned in to whisper softly in his ear. His hot breath was giving Duo shivers. "Maybe.... we've been living with our eyes half open.... Maybe.... I'm bent and broken...." His voice began drifting...............  
  
Duo awoke with a start. _What the fuck? What? Am I going insane now?! _He thought as he got out of his bed, he glanced over and saw that Quatre and Wufei were sound asleep. He walked quietly over to the desk. He took a pen and paper from the hotel's stationary, and began writing...  
  
To Be Continued...........  
  
Did ya like it?! Yes? No? Maybe so? By the way, some private information. Duo's tattoo, is in fact a tattoo I have. I have Shinigami in Kanji tattooed on my back in between my shoulder blades, just thought you might like to know... Leave REVIEWS!!!


	10. Amidst The Crowds

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing.... Damn...  
  
Pairings: Eventual 1x2x1, maybe some 3x4x3.  
  
Warnings: Eventual Shonen Ai, maybe violence, and Rock n' Roll baby.  
  
Notes: **_Same notes as the other fics. Only this time I thought I would do something different. This chapter, 10, will have POV's from the characters. it's not a third person like the others, but this one is straight from the horse's mouth, so to speak. So I hope you enjoy it, because I enjoyed writting it. And a warning, this chapter as well as the next one.... may have something you all might not like as far as pairings go.... DON'T HIT ME!  
_**  
In The Valley Of The Diamond Dogs

By Black Dragon62  
  
Chapter 10: Amidst The Crowds  
  
Dou's POV  
  
_I thought I wouldn't have dream like that anymore.... But it just won't let me be. Why do I have to have flashbacks like that in my dreams? Why do I have to live my life in the past? Why can't I forget about... _Duo looked down at his hands, they were trembling slightly. He looked down at the piece of hotel stationary, it had writing all over it, illegible, but writing none the less. _This is what he had said... hadn't he? This is what he whispered in my dream right? He sighed heavily. _He swept a hand through his bangs, and re-adjusted his pj bottoms.  
  
He leaned his head down on his crossed arms, and breathed deeply. He looked back and saw that Wufei and Quatre had not stirred from their sleep. He took a look around the room. _It's like all the others. Big and empty. Only this time it has three beds instead of one. Yup, just the same. One lamp on each bed side table, a tv with nothing on but infomercials and church talk, a dresser here and there, one bathroom so sterile it makes me sick, and a desk, a desk that I use for nothing but an extra table. _He sighed again_. This isn't home. But what is? That apartment I have back in Boston? It's a place to crash, where I have my stuff, but it's not a home. I've had it for what, 5 years now? No wait, 6, that's been my place on Earth for 6 years. I bet Quatre didn't know I lived on Earth just like the rest of them. Of course he wouldn't, would he? I had all my records vanish, with a little help from my hacking skills. But, most likely he would have known, that's just like him. But it's never really been my home. I don't think I ever had one to begin with... not my gundam, not the Maxwell Orphanage, not the boarding houses I shared with Heero, though they did feel better than being alone. My apartment was always a sanctuary, a place to get away from it all, to just rest and be by myself, that's what I wanted right? After the war, that's what I wanted right, to disappear? But look at me now, the mighty Duo Maxwell, a puppet for the world to watch, an icon for this generation's misguided youths. That's what I wanted right? To be in the spot light? No, that's never been my objective, all my life, I've lived in the shadows of the world, but now, I couldn't find a shadow if I tried. I never wanted this. I kinda fell into it in the first place. 'We were meant to live for so much more, have I lost myself?' _He sat back in the chair, and stared out of the window, and saw the Italian night life twinkle below. He let out a breath and remembered. _I miss Boston. It was never my first choice for a habitat, but it has served me well. I remember driving on a cold night to the beach. And sitting on the rocks, watching the deep and dark ocean roll with fervent waves. I would watch until the orange sun would rise from the horizon and light everything on fire with it's glow, then the ocean would turn from Midnight blue, to yellow, then to sky blue. That's when I would go home. Why would I watch the ocean just at night? He wondered to himself. It's 3am, maybe, I should try and get some sleep, I have plans with the guys tomorrow afternoon. Then I have the show at eight. Then after that, one more night in beautiful Italy. I wonder if the band is sick of me adding new songs after each show? He chuckled softly. Whatever, I have an early morning... Best try and rest.  
  
_Duo turned off the tiny lamp on the desk, and walked over silently to his bed. He took one last look at Italy, and fell into a light slumber. This time, to his relief, no dreams came.  
  
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_Who's shaking me?  
  
_"Duo! Duo wake up! It's time to get up! DUO!" _Quatre yelled in my ears, trying with all he could to get me out of my nice warm bed. It's only 8am?! I fucking went to sleep 5 hours ago!  
  
_Duo moaned. "No." And he rolled over, taking the covers with him.  
  
"Come on! It's a beautiful day! And Italy is waiting!" Quatre said excitedly. _Some one should really take the caffeine out of his coffee...  
  
_Duo sighed, and rolled out of bed. Quatre and Wufei were already showered and dressed. Quatre had a light tan shirt, the creases were nice, and the buttons on the front were nice and shiny. He was wearing khaki pants with tan loafers, all in all, he looked nice. He looked over to Wufei, who was wearing a sky blue, long sleeved cotton shirt. The top two buttons were left undone, but he was wearing blue jeans and sneakers, he looked nice too. _I have to dress nice for today I see.  
  
_He hobbled to the bathroom and took a quick shower and shave. He put on a dark blue tee shirt, and black jeans. He tied is braid tightly and secured the band around the end. He emerged from the bathroom in a cloud of steam.  
  
"Geez Maxwell, what the hell did you do? Use up all the hot water in the city?" Wufei teased.  
  
"Just about." Duo countered. "Well, let's go."  
  
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They walked about the city, Duo in his hat and glasses, and each looking at the marvels and mysteries of the Roman streets. Beautiful woman gave them looks of interest, while some of the men decided not to care. Rome was indeed beautiful.  
  
The fountains and buildings were architectural astonishments, though they were all probably more than 200 hundred years old at that point, they had all survived the war, more or less in decent shape. They were all in awe at the splendor of it all. They walked through shops and street markets, all enjoying themselves immensely.  
  
The bookstores were filled with the works of Plato, Aristotle and Machiavelli, while the dress shops where filled with Armani and Versace suits of all sizes, colors and cuts. It was indeed a wonderful city. They entered a large bookstore, with rows and rows of books and volumes of different lengths and titles. They each decided to take a different section, Quatre decided to look in the Gardening section, Wufei decided to look into the Martial Arts section, and Duo decided to browse the Philosophy section. He looked over the different titles, all written either in Spanish, English or Italian. He roamed from Karl Marx's "Communist Manifesto", to Aristotle's "Ethics". None of which captured his interest. He looked for a few more minutes, from the Dahli Lama and Nietzsche till he came upon an author he had heard of, but knew little about. Machiavelli, there was no title on the front, the volume must had contained at least 1,000 pages, but the cover was what entranced Duo. He flipped it over and over in his hands, but decided to buy it anyway. He took it over to the counter to pay.  
  
After handing over the money, Quatre and Wufei headed up next to the counter. Duo tilted his glasses down to look at them. He smiled and saw they were each carrying a book as well.  
  
"Find anything good?" He asked.  
  
Quatre nodded enthusiastically. "I found a great Italian cook book, I think I'll try it. And you two will be my guinea pigs." Quatre smiled as he handed his purchase to the young lady behind the counter. "What about you Wufei?" Quatre asked as he turned back to look at them.  
  
Wufei nodded and held up the book in question. "Yes, Sun Tzu's 'The Art Of War.' It will give me something to read and study while on the plane." He handed over the book to the girl, and paid her. "Where are we off to next?"  
  
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They walked down the busy and crowded street. None of them heading to anywhere in particular. Quatre and Wufei walked ahead, talking about some nonsense while Duo was at the rear. They walked on for a few minutes before Duo stopped and looked down another street, one quite not so busy. He looked ahead and saw that Wufei and Quatre kept walking, still talking. He looked back to the small street, and then back, and decided. He slipped unnoticed down the other street, and made his way down, his eyes on a sign that hung over the door of a small shop.  
  
He stopped a few feet from the entrance of the shop, but took a deep breath and entered. He adjusted his hat over his eyes and tucked his braid into the back of his shirt. He pushed the dark glasses against his face, and opened the door. The sound of the little bell prompted a young woman with red hair to step from the entrance of the back room into the front of the shop. She wobbled a bit, she must have been at least 7 months pregnant, but her beautiful face was positively glowing. She walked over to Duo, with a gentle smile on her face, and an arm over her large stomach.  
  
"Hello, may I help you?" She asked him.  
  
Duo smiled at her, and lifted the cap a bit. "Yes, would you recommend a good year by chance?"  
  
She smiled at the prospect of a customer. "Why yes, we have a large selection of excellent years." She said walking over to a shelf. "Here we have Merlot ranging from 1838 to 1969, and over here we have Chardonnay from-"  
  
Duo shook his head slightly. "I'm not a Merlot or Chardonnay person." He said as he walked over to another shelf and pointed at a green bottle. " I actually prefer a good Chianti myself. "He said with a grin as he got the wine bottle down carefully and handed it to her.  
  
"This is a very good Chianti, aged and flavored to perfection, would you like to try some?" She asked, walking over to a counter that had a corkscrew and a few glasses on the surface.  
  
"I would love to, Catherine." He said softly.  
  
She stopped and turned to look the young man in the face. "How did you know my name?"  
  
Duo smiled wider. "A beautiful name for a beautiful lady." He said with a gracious bow. He saw her cheeks tint to a pinkish color. "And I supposed your name was Catherine because your name is on the sign out front." He finished.  
  
She blushed slightly. "Oh, yeah, I forgot about that." She smiled, trying to cover up the blush. She gently set the bottle down and began to unscrew the cork.  
  
The bell on the door sounded again, and a young man with a dark blue shirt and blue jeans entered, carrying a bag of groceries in his arms. A brown unibang covering half of his face, the only thing visible was an emerald eye that looked at the young woman with a small smile on his calm face. He walked over and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He whispered something about putting away the food and then helping with the customer. And he promptly disappeared towards the back of the shop.  
  
Duo looked after him, and asked, slightly amused. "Who was that? Your son?" He let out a small chuckle.  
  
"Oh, no. He's my brother. Trowa will be out in just a second." She said light heartedly, handing him a glass of Chianti. "I hope you will find this to your liking."  
  
Duo took the glass from her and sipped at it. "Mm, this is excellent." He commented off hand. "I'll take two bottles." He said, smiling at her softly.  
  
She smiled excitedly. "Yes sir." She said. Apparently, those were two of the most expensive bottle of Chianti. She called to Trowa for help. He emerged from the back, and Duo put his head down, hand still cradling his wine glass. "Trowa, will you help this gentlemen, he wants two bottle of this Chianti, I have some business to attend to in the back." She said as she went into that backroom.  
  
"Two bottles sir?" Trowa asked casually. He saw the man nod, and proceeded to walk around the counter and to the shelf to fetch the two bottles. He paused as the man spoke.  
  
Duo saw him turn and fetch the bottles. He removed his hat and glasses, and un tucked his braid from his shirt. He spoke to Trowa. "Don't recognize an old friend Trowa?"  
  
Trowa froze. He turned and saw a sight he hadn't seen for years. He saw, Duo Maxwell, standing there with his fists on his hips, braid swinging softly behind him, and his trademark grin on his face. His mouth dropped open, the shut immediately. He was speechless.  
  
"God Trowa, I know you're the silent type, but the least you could do is say 'hello'." He crossed his arms over his chest and smiled. "It's good to see you."  
  
Trowa allowed himself a small smile. "Same here." He walked over to the counter and put the two bottle of wine on the counter. "Cash or charge?" He asked, letting out a small chuckle.  
  
"Ha-ha." Duo replied sarcastically. "Cash. Smartass." He smiled though.  
  
"Very good sir." Trowa said as he packed the bottles in paper and into a bag. "I heard you were in town, the whole city is talking about it. How long will you be here?" Trowa asked.  
  
"A few more days. Then I'm off to the last stop on this freakin tour. Then it's off for some R and R, much needed R and R." He smiled softly. "Wufei and Quatre are here with me." He said finally.  
  
Trowa looked up. "Oh." He said, eyes looking down.  
  
"He wants to see you, you know." He looked at his friends down cast face. "He's down right nervous as hell."  
  
"What about Heero?" Trowa asked suddenly.  
  
Duo paused and blinked. "What about him?"  
  
"Is he here with you as well?" Trowa asked, changing the subject.  
  
"What does that have to do with anything?" Duo asked suddenly.  
  
Trowa breathed out. He looked up into Duo's face. His visible eye calm and serious. "There are things that you and I have to discuss."  
  
"Like what?" Duo asked, alarmed suddenly by the change in Trowa's voice.  
  
"How long do you have?" Trowa asked, walking into the backroom.  
  
Uncertain, Duo followed.  
  
To Be Continued............................................  
  
What a place to stop!!! Ah, but at least it will give you guys something to mull over for a while. LEAVE REVIEWS!!!


	11. Quiet Words

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing.... Damn...  
  
Pairings: Eventual 121, maybe some 343.  
  
Warnings: Eventual Shonen Ai, maybe violence, and Rock n' Roll baby.  
  
Notes: _**Same notes as the other fics. Only this time I thought I would do something different. So I hope you enjoy it, because I enjoyed writting it. And a warning, this chapter.... may have something you all might not like as far as pairings go.... DON'T HIT ME!  
  
**_In The Valley Of The Diamond Dogs

By Black Dragon62  
  
Chapter 11: Quiet Words  
  
Trowa walked into the room, and proceeded to flip on a switch on the wall next to the door way. It took but a moment for the light to expand in the room, and show off the beautiful decor. The room was beautifully designed, cherry wood furniture lined the walls as well as the couches and chairs. Trowa moved from this room, into the kitchen.  
  
"Please. Sit." Was all he said before he disappeared into the next room.  
  
Duo sat in one of the richly upholstered chairs. He let his eyes roam around the room and it's creamy white walls, and to the floor and it's deep burgundy rugs. Trowa emerged a few minutes later, holding two wine glasses in one hand, and a bottle of the Chianti, Duo had picked out earlier, in the other. He placed the items onto the low table in the center of the room, and took a seat on the couch on Duo's left. He uncorked the bottle and poured a generous amount in each glass. And then he handed one to Duo, who tentatively took a sip. He carefully set his glass on the table, and turned his curious violet eyes to Trowa's silent form.  
  
_He hasn't changed. Same Trowa, but there's something different in him at the same time. Same unibang and all, but there is something hidden deeper in his green eye. By the way he poured the wine, he's still as graceful as ever. I don't think that could ever change. And ever dutiful to Cat as always. Something's never change. With him looking at me like that, I wouldn't believe that we spent 6 years apart, more like 6 hours at most. This man, this man known as Trowa Barton, the same boy who piloted Heavyarms, who took his name from a soldier who died ages ago it seems, the same boy who had saved my life countless times, the same man I thought of as family, as a brother. What could he possibly tell me?  
  
_Duo sat in silence, and waited for Trowa to begin. When no answer or question forth came, he decided he needed to break he silence. "So, what's on your mind Tro?"  
  
Trowa looked up into the violet eyes at the nickname, and let an imperceptible smile cross his solemn features. "I have something I need to discuss with you."  
  
"Sure. What is it?" Duo sat up straight, an gave Trowa his full attention.  
  
Trowa placed his glass on the low table and stood. He walked calmly over to the far wall, and leaned against it. He stood as if he was asking the inanimate wall for support. "Duo," He spoke softly. "There's something I need you to know."  
  
"You know you can tell me anything right?" Duo looked at his friend and with one look encouraged him to continue. "We've been through a lot together. You trusted me with your life at one point or another, what's so hard for you to say, that you are afraid to tell me?"  
  
"I'm not afraid." Trowa amended. For years, no gundam pilot ever admitted fear, even to himself. Trowa took a shallow breath, and let it out between clenched teeth. "It's just that-"  
  
"Just what? Just spit it out Tro."  
  
"Just that I never told you, that I knew you had feelings for Heero." Trowa spat out finally.  
  
Duo blinked wide violet eyes up at his friend. He gave a grin and walked over to his friend. Duo put a reassuring hand on Trowa's shoulder. "Is that all? God Trowa, I thought it was some big secret." Duo laughed.  
  
"That's not what I was going to say." Trowa shrugged the hand off of his shoulder and took a step back. He looked at his friend in the eyes measuring. "What I meant to say was..."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I loved Heero." Trowa looked down.  
  
Duo's eyes widened and he stared at Trowa, hoping he had heard him wrong. If he had heard him right, they _DID _need to talk, and now.  
  
"What?" Was Duo's brilliant question.  
  
"Don't make me repeat myself. It's hard enough just telling you." Trowa said as he moved towards the couch again. He sat with his head bent down, picking imaginary lint from his blue jeans. He sighed deeply, and glanced at Duo finally.  
  
Duo's mouth still hung open, not quite sure what to make of Trowa's confession, but also knowing it was hard for the former Heavyarms pilot to admit something of this nature. Duo smiled softly and walked over to take a seat next to Trowa.  
  
"I never would have guessed that." Duo said softly, as if afraid they would be heard. "Then again, you always were a secretive one. No one knew what you were thinking. Except maybe-"  
  
"Quatre." Trowa finished.  
  
"Yeah." Duo leaned back and put his arms behind his arms behind his head. "That's another part of the equation I think we need to figure out. You know he cares about you, a lot."  
  
Trowa gave a sigh of pure defeat. "Yes. I know. I have known for a long time." He looked down at his hands decidedly.  
  
"I think you should start from the beginning. When did all this start?" Duo asked.  
  
Trowa looked up, his eyes fixed on one point in the far wall. He began. "It began when I first met Heero. And the first time I looked into his deep blue eyes. I think you know what I mean." He saw Duo smile from the corner of his eye. And also saw him close his eyes and nod; it was as if they could see Heero's handsome face, and fathomless Prussian blue eyes. "I didn't know what love meant. At that point, I don't think any of us knew. I did know, however, that my feelings could not be denied, or ignored. No matter how hard I tried, every time I would see him, or know he was lurking in the shadows like he did, I knew my heart would beat faster, and my pulse and blood would rush through my veins." He smiled as he leaned back on the couch with Duo on his right. He looked at him. And the smile faded. "None of you knew. I didn't want you too." Soft sigh, accompanied by a glance from a soft emerald eye. "I guess, I didn't want to show a weakness. And I knew Quatre had feelings for me. I knew." He turned to the same point on the wall. "I didn't want to hurt him."  
  
Duo smiled, he just had to ask. "Did you ever feel anything for Quatre?"  
  
Trowa looked at Duo, surprise written on his face, but quickly smothered down for one of calm and composure. He thought about it, had always thought about it, but had never heard the question voiced out. He decided, "Yes. I felt friendship, companionship, and a deep feeling of understanding."  
  
"Understanding?"  
  
"That we both longed and yearned for something that was unattainable." Trowa looked off again.  
  
"Did you ever feel for Quatre, what you felt for Heero?"  
  
"No." Trowa looked at Duo then, and then off again to pick up his forgotten glass of wine. "I liked him, sure. I loved things about him that Heero never showed, I loved Quatre's kindness, love, and his passion for peace, also the love and respect he gave to all of us. I never saw that in Heero, maybe I just wasn't looking hard enough." He took a sip of wine.  
  
"Yup, Heero's always been a mystery, even to me. But you know, Quat's here in Italy, and he loves you just as much now, as he did back then. Hope you know that." Duo smiled and picked his own glass up. "So what are you going to do?"  
  
Trowa gave a defeated sigh. "I don't know. Heero, I haven't thought about him in 5 years until I saw you today. And you just sort of, reminded me. But I do think about Quatre, a lot more frequently, I want to see him again."  
  
Duo let out a big dramatic sigh. He stood and pulled Trowa up with him, and gave the slender young man a big hug. "I'm sure he'd love that too. I always had a feeling about you two. Now you can see for yourself, what the rest of us have known for years." A big smile broke out on Duo's face.  
  
"I think I would. Maybe I've known it all along as well." A reserved smile lightened up Trowa's face.  
  
"Alright! Enough of this mushy crap. You need to show us Italy, Trowa style." Duo made his way towards the door, then smacked his forehead. "Aw shit! I have a concert tonight, I can't miss that. Oh wait, we'll be here for an extra day and night. Then we leave in the morning." Duo gave an impish grin. We're heading off to my next venue, and then I'm off for the next two months, interested in following us? You know? Like a big Gundam Pilot reunion?"  
  
"Sure, sounds.... fun." Trowa added with a smile.  
  
"Ok. Now, we have to go and find Quatre, you two have some things to discuss."  
  
To Be Continued...................  
  
Ok, I know.... ANOTHER CLIFFHANGER!!!! But I know you guys still love me for it.... right? Let me know!!! PLEASE REVIEW!!!!  
  
P.S I will be updating within the next couple of days, cause leaving you guys here like this would just be cruel. :)


	12. A Green Eyed Perspective

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing.... Damn... Song by Nickelback, "Feelin' Way Too Damn Good."  
  
Pairings: Eventual 1&2&1, maybe some 3&4&3.  
  
Warnings: Eventual Shonen Ai, maybe violence, and Rock n' Roll baby.  
  
Notes: _Alright. Hopefully you are still reading this by this point. I made this chapter different, and it took me some time to actually get it the way I wanted. This is a POV, Trowa's. And it will go into depth, so it will be long. And, don't be mad, but I am prolonging Heero's appearence in this fic. Enjoy.  
  
_In The Valley Of The Diamond Dogs

By Black Dragon62  
  
Chapter 12: A Green Eyed Perspective.  
  
Trowa's POV  
  
"So. How've you been? With all the things we discussed, we didn't get a chance to catch up. Well, so to speak." Duo said as we walked out of the back room in the wine shop. He looked at me with his bright and shinning violet eyes, and I couldn't help but let a small smile of my own cross my face.  
  
"I've been alright." I said truthfully. I thought that maybe, I could tell him what I've been up to these past six years, since I obviously know what he's been up to. "I've lived here, in Italy, for the past five years. After the war ended, Cathy and I went to work for the circus for 10 months, then, we came here and took over her grandfather's wine shop. I never knew she had any family, anywhere for that matter. We've lived here ever since." I looked at Duo then, his face a calm but cheerful sort of thing. Like I always remembered. Something's never change, but yet, somehow, I was hoping they wouldn't change so. I feel a sort of comfort in knowing things are changing for the better, but the more familiar things, the important things, always stay the way they should be. I must have been silent and lost in my thoughts for some time, because I noticed Duo looking at me most quizzically. Then all of a sudden, his face lit up.  
  
"Ok, we gotta go find the other guys. I know Wufei and Quat are somewhere in the city, but I kinda strayed." He said with an almost shy kind of smile, then as we walked out into the busy street, Duo looked about. And then he jumped up to see that we had found our objective. Wufei and Quatre. Duo ran over to them, yelling something in process.  
  
I walked over casually, knowing that they hadn't seen me, or even noticed another's presence by the way Duo was yelling and bounding about. I walked slowly, my steps careful and deliberate, I wasn't sure if I wanted to be there at that point. I knew I wanted to see the other pilots again, but I wasn't sure if I could see Quatre's face light up the way it used to, see his aqua blue eyes shimmer with happiness. No, I don't think I could.  
  
"Guess what I found." Duo said as he stepped to one side, allowing the other's to get a view of me. I stood straight, back as rigid as I could manage. And I allowed myself a tiny smile. I saw Wufei smile slightly, and give a nod in my general direction. Then I looked at Quatre. He had indeed grown beyond my expectations. His honey blond hair falling into his eyes, he had gotten taller. _[mental laugh] _Imagine, the shortest one of us, is the same height now, or at least a little shorter, than Duo. But in any case, his face and demeanor were just the same as I remembered. He was happy to see me. But I knew it was awkward none the less.  
  
"Hello Trowa." He said, a lovely pink color tinting his cheeks. It was indeed a lovely sight. I'm not exactly saying that I'm falling with complete abandon in love with the young man standing just within arms reach, but I was feeling a sort of longing, and a.... how should I put this... a slight feeling in the pit of my heart. Almost like a caterpillar, wrapping itself in it's cocoon, in time, and given the chance, it would become something marvelous and beautiful. Now I find myself wondering.... Should I left this become something beautiful, or should I let it lie and die? I must have been completely immersed in my thoughts, because they were al staring at me with curious glances.  
  
"Maybe we should go somewhere less... populated?" Duo asked, concern obviously written on his thin face. He was itching to get out of the public eye, and away from the public itself. That in itself didn't sound like a bad idea. I rather liked to talk amongst friends in private, rather than surrounded by thousands of Romans.  
  
"Agreed."  
  
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We walked for about 20 minutes, until we arrived at the threshold of a large and elegant hotel. I looked over at Quatre then, his face calm, yet something laid underneath his cheerful exterior, was it... apprehension?  
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"Alright, Wufei and I have something's to take care of."  
  
"We do?" I saw Duo hit Wufei in the ribs then. And saw Wufei sputter his words. I wanted to laugh, but didn't dare, I saw the daggers that Wufei was shooting at Duo. But then he resigned himself to agree with his braided friend.  
  
"Alright. You two stay here and we'll be back right before we leave." Duo said, already turning to leave.  
  
"Leave for where?" I asked, I wasn't quite sure what he was talking about, and I most certainly didn't want to go anywhere with out knowing a head of time.  
  
"Oh, yeah. I have a concert tonight. And I want you to come." He said, smile wavering just a bit. I reassured him with a nod and smile of my own. "Great. Well it's 2 right now, we won't leave till 7:30, the show starts at 9, but you know, sound checks and crap. We'll be back later. See ya." He said with a mischievous grin, one that made me somewhat uncomfortable.  
  
I watched Wufei and Duo walk down the hallway and disappear behind a corner. I let out a small sigh then, then I looked to my right, and Quatre was standing there, looking to where our friends had once stood. I smiled, and I felt something clench inside of me, grab a hold of me, and suddenly, I was struggling for breath, taking in gulps at a time.  
  
Then it happened. His Aqua eyes looked at me, and his face was eerily calm. "We can talk in here." Quatre said as he slipped the card into the door and opened it. He flung the door open, and waited for me to enter first. The room was dark, but as Quatre flipped on a switch, I saw that it was quite large, we were apparently standing in what looked like a sitting room. Sofas and assorted chairs were richly strewn about the room. Quatre moved past me and sat in one of the chairs facing me. He extended his hand and wordlessly asked me to take a seat in front of him. I did. I looked to him, and waited for him to speak. I didn't have to wait long, maybe it was the words burning a hole in his throat, maybe it was the silence that was unbearable, whatever it was, I only waited a few moments before I heard his soft voice sound through the room.  
  
"It's been a long time Trowa." I nodded in his direction. It had been a long time, maybe too long? "And, in that time..." I heard him say, "I've had a lot of time to think." He lifted his eyes to look at me. I saw hesitation, uncertainty, and fear in his eyes, I knew what he was going to say. "And I have been waiting 6 years to say this..." I was leaning back, my hands crossed over my chest, waiting for him to finish. "To say, Fuck You Trowa." I hadn't been expecting that.  
  
I blinked at him, confusion on my face. Quickly recovering I asked him, "Excuse me?"  
  
"Fuck you for making me fall in love with you! Fuck you for making me think of you every waking moment and dreaming of you for the past six fucking years! Damn it. Trowa, I've hated what you made me, like a love sick school girl, always in love with the man she could only hope to see or touch, but I love you Trowa, I have ever since you came into my house all those years ago. I have through all the blood, pain, suffering, you are the reason I made it out of the war alive, and you are the reason I am damning my existence. Because I know..." His eyes glazed over with unshed tears. "I know that you don't love me." They spilled and sank into the cotton of his shirt. He angrily wiped them away with the back of his hand, and he glared at me with his ocean blue eyes.  
  
I looked at him, and I felt a guilt settle on me. "Quatre." I said softly. "I really don't know what to say..." I was looking down at the ground then. "But I knew that you loved me. You never said so, but I think, I always knew. The looks, and the tone of voice you would address me with. I think I knew. And I never said I didn't love you. I never said anything remotely close to it." I saw the glare waiver, and hope start to shine in the blue depths. "But I never said I did either."  
  
"Then what are you saying Trowa?" I saw the frustration now sink in.  
  
I stood then. Walking over to him and sitting on the low table in front of him. I tilted his chin up, so that his eyes would meet mine. And then I leaned back, and spoke again. "I'm not saying I've never felt anything for you Quatre, because if I did, we would both know I was lying. What I am saying is," Looking at him now, I don't think it was ever clearer to me. "I would like to give it a try." I saw a smile cross his beautiful angelic face.  
  
"Are you saying that you really want to be with me?" I heard the fear of rejection in his voice.  
  
"Yeah. I do." I leaned in and kissed him lightly on the lips at first. And then it grew into something more, something desperate and needy. I pulled back after I remembered to breathe. And at that moment, looking at Quatre, his face flushed and eyes glazed over, I knew, that this was what I wanted. This was exactly what I wanted.  
  
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"How you guys doin'!!!!" Duo screamed at the crowd. "You know. I love Italy, beautiful things everywhere I look, and I found, or rather, a friend of mine found something priceless here, and this song is for him. It's called Feelin Way Too Damn Good, I hope you like it."  
  
I looked at Duo from backstage, Quatre's hand in mine, our fingers intertwined. And I was marveling at the way he moved on stage, and the song began, Duo started to strum his guitar, and the sounds resonated from the amps and speakers. And then he began to sing.  
  
"_I missed you so much that I begged you to fly here and see me,  
You must have broke down cause you finally said that you would,  
But now that you're here I just feel like I'm constantly dreaming,  
Cause something's gotta go wrong cause I'm feelin' way too damn good.  
  
For 48 hours I don't think that we left my hotel room,  
Should show you the sites cause I'm sure that I said that I would,  
We gotta make love just one last time in the shower,  
Cause something's gotta go wrong cause I'm feelin' way too damn good."  
  
_At that verse, I saw Quatre's cheeks blaze an unimaginable shade of crimson red. And I just smiled. I think Duo knew more than he let on.  
  
_"And it's like every time I turn around,  
I fall in love but my heart's face down and,  
Where it lands is where it should.  
This time it's like, the two of us should probably start to fight,  
Cause something's gotta go wrong cause I'm feelin' way too damn good.  
  
Sometimes I think best if left in the memory,  
It's better kept inside then left for good.  
But looking back each time they tried to tell me.  
Well something's gotta go wrong cause I'm feelin' way too damn good.  
  
And it's like every time I turn around,  
I fall in love but my heart's face down and,  
Where it lands is where it should.  
This time it's like, the two of us should probably start to fight,  
Cause something's gotta go wrong cause I'm feelin' way too damn good.  
  
I missed you so much that I begged you to fly here and see me,  
You must have broke down cause you finally said that you would,  
But now that you're here I just feel like I'm constantly dreaming,  
Cause something's gotta go wrong cause I'm feelin' way too damn good.  
  
And it's like every time I turn around,  
I fall in love but my heart's face down and,  
Where it lands is where it should.  
This time it's like, the two of us should probably start to fight,  
Cause something's gotta go wrong cause I'm feelin' way too damn good."  
  
_"Thank You! Just a little something I wrote this afternoon. Now, let's get this on!" Duo said as another song started. And all I could think of was this, you could make money making fun of your friends in public, and if anyone could do it, Duo could.  
  
To Be Continued...  
  
I hope you liked that. I worked on it longer than expected, but it's up and out now. LEAVE REVIEWS!!! I'm working currently on two other fics, maybe they will be posted by the end of September. By the way, if you like this fic, you should read my fic Scraps, it's a fluff piece and short. But I think you'd like it.


	13. Fire And Rain

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing.... Damn... Song by James Taylor, "Fire And Rain" and Two Verses of "Forgiveness" by Don Henley.

Pairings: Eventual 1&2&1, maybe some light 3&4&3.

Warnings: Eventual Shonen Ai, maybe violence, and Rock n' Roll baby.

Notes:_ I got some good reviews on the last chapter, you guys really like it huh? I'm lucky to have such avid readers. I guess you could say that the fic is taking longer than I expected, for I am my own beta/editor. This fic is more on revalations some affirmations. I want to encourage and ask you guys to read Scraps too. I'm just really proud of that one. So go read it... Do Eeet!_

**In The Valley Of The Diamond Dogs**

**By Black Dragon62**

Chapter 12: Fire And Rain

They got on the plane about an hour ago, and they were waiting for it to take off impatiently. Somehow, they had gotten Trowa to join them for a short time. He promised Catherine to write and to be back before the birth of her child, which would be a few months yet to come. They were all settled in different seats of the private airplane. Though Wufei, Duo, Quatre and Trowa seemed to share the same space. They all seemed relaxed and awaiting for the plane to take off out of the airport. Then a question came to Duo's attention.

"Hey Hil!" He yelled from across the plane. She turned her head around to look in his direction. "Where we goin' anyway?"

She turned around and looked at the folder in her bag. She flipped through the pages and responded without turning. "Japan."

Duo froze and took a deep breath. His eyes widened just a tad, but it did not go unnoticed by the others.

"Just relax." Quatre said softly.

"Good afternoon ladies and gentleman, we will be taking off shortly. I just wanted to remind you of the positions of the emergency exits in the case of an emergency, and to remind you to keep you seatbelt on until the sign above me has been turned off. Thank you very much and have a nice and safe flight and thank you again for flying with Peacecraft airlines."

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They had been in the air for about an hour, everyone was resting and watching the in flight movie playing at the front of the aircraft. They were watching _Interview with the Vampire_, and most of the personnel and crew were watching it with interest. Duo was getting restless, he just couldn't seem to sit still.

He stood and reached into the overhead compartment. He took out his acoustic guitar and tuned it for a few seconds, and started to strum a few chords. Quatre, Wufei and Trowa watched their friend in silence and fascination. Since they had been on their adventure, none of them had ever seen Duo play his guitar without being on stage. This was certainly a first. They watched as their friend looked out of the small Plexiglas window, and began singing softly.

_"Just yesterday morning they let me know you were gone  
Susanne the plans they made put an end to you  
I walked out this morning and I wrote down this song  
I just can't remember who to send it to  
  
I've seen fire and I've seen rain  
I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end  
I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend  
But I always thought that I'd see you again  
  
Won't you look down upon me, Jesus  
You've got to help me make a stand  
You've just got to see me through another day  
My body's aching and my time is at hand  
And I won't make it any other way  
  
woh, I've seen fire and I've seen rain  
I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end  
I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend  
But I always thought that I'd see you again"  
_

They watched as their friend played the guitar in a haunting and simple tune. And heard his words softly, yet strongly sung at the same time. They were fascinated and entranced with the strange melody that their friend was making.

_  
"I've been working my mind to an easy time  
My back turned towards the sun  
Lord knows when the cold wind blows it'll turn your head around  
Well, there's hours of time on the telephone line  
To talk about things to come  
Sweet dreams and flying machines in pieces on the ground.  
  
woh, I've seen fire and I've seen rain  
I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end  
I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend  
But I always thought that I'd see you, baby, one more time again, now  
  
Thought I'd see you one more time again  
There's just a few things coming my way this time around, now  
Thought I'd see you, thought I'd see you fire and rain"_

The song ended with the last strum of the black and silver trimmed guitar. Duo rested his hands on the guitar for a few seconds before putting it back into it's case, but not closing the lid. He let out a slow breath and looked up. The whole time he had been playing, he had been looking out the window; he hadn't noticed that his friends were looking at him.

"What?" Duo asked uncertainly. "I got something on my nose or something?"

"That was beautiful Duo." Quatre said softly, the tune still playing softly in his ears. "Did you just write that?"

"Hm? Oh that? No, that's 'Fire and Rain' by James Taylor. I just had it on my mind and felt like playing it, I just couldn't sit another minute without doing something."

"We thought you just wrote it." Trowa said truthfully.

"Nope, not mine. It's a song I play from time to time, when I have something on my mind, it always sort of, calms me down in a way, the soft and haunting melody has always been something that I play to, relax." He said with a grin on his face. He leaned back and put the headphones off to the side, while he put his arm on the arm rest.

Wufei looked at him and sighed. He looked across to Trowa who was holding Quatre's hand in lose contact. He smiled, and remembered a face of a young girl with a smile on her face, but it faded just as quickly as it had appeared. He noticed that Duo was looking at him.

"What do you want Maxwell?" Wufei asked.

"Hm? Oh nothing, I was just thinking..." Duo looked shyly towards the carpeted floors of the airplane.

"What?" Wufei asked insistently.

"Well, I have a question, for all of you." He asked in a certain tone of voice that made everyone in the circle of friends look at him. Trowa and Quatre drew their attention to their friend. "Did any of you imagine that we'd be like this after six years? Wufei, did you know or want to manage a Dojo in China? Trowa did you want to own a wine shop? Quatre did you want to run your dad's company? Did I know I wanted to do this? Has anyone asked themselves that question before?"

They all looked at each other.

"I have asked myself the same question everyday for the past six years." Wufei answered truthfully. "I never thought this would be the life that I would lead, but then, fate and destiny do have ways to fuck us over don't they?" They all agreed. "Look Maxwell, none of us actually fore saw what our futures would be like, we just got the hand that life dealt us, and whether we chose to play it or not was up to us. But I can say, that I have been happy with my life thus far, some regrets are inevitable. But my life has been a peaceful one." He sounded sad at the last remark, and no one said anything about it, they knew what his regrets were, but none of the would mention it out of respect for their black haired friend.

"I agree with Wufei." Trowa said quite suddenly. All eyes turned to him. "Yes, I have my regrets as well, but my life has been quiet and peaceful so far. Not exactly the life I planned on, but I don't think any of us expected to live this long. Being Gundam pilots, I guess some of us figured we would be long dead ages ago. But here we are, sitting here, with one another again. I'm happy with my life..." He gave Quatre's hand a gentle squeeze. "And the people in it." He finished with a smile.

"What brought on these questions Duo?" Quatre asked.

Duo shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe I was wondering what my life would have been like if I had not chosen this path ya know? I could have declined the record deal I was given 6 years 123 days ago. Do you guys know how I began this life?" He got three negative head shakes. He inhaled, "Well, I moved back to L2 after the wars ended. I had just gotten my tattoo and Hilde and I were still workin' in that old salvage yard. I was feeling like I wanted to go out and get drunk or something, so Hil and me, we went to Parker's Bar a mile from the salvage yard. And they were having their weekly open mike night, and Hil wanted me to go up there and sing. I told her there would be no way in hell I would go up there and make an ass out of myself. She pulled a quarter out of her pocket and this is what she said, 'Alright, if I win, you have to go up there and sing a song like the melo-dramatic bastard you like to be, but if I lose, I'll buy you that leather jacket you've been whining about for the last two months.' So I agreed, I really wanted that jacket." He said with a wide smile on his face. "So, I called 'heads', and I watched it as it flipped in the air a few times and finally landed in my beer. It was tails. So I went up there and I sang 'Ziggy Stardust' by David Bowie. But what I didn't know was that there was a guy from some record company, having a drink with his buddies, he heard me and offered me a record deal. Not exactly the life I wanted, but I agreed because it would give me the freedom to be expressive through music, also give me free stuff!" He said, grin growing wider. "I've been working on music ever since then, just writing and singing, it's my catharsis in a way. Like, I've been working on this, see what it sounds like to you guys."

He closed the lid to his acoustic guitar, and stowed it away again. This time he pulled out a midnight blue electric guitar, it was beautiful from it's graceful neck to the shiny finish. He plugged it into an amp the size of a shoe box. He smiled then and turned to his friends as he tuned it. "See what you guys think of this, it's like one of those old love songs, but it has a sort of has a Peter Gabriel slash James Taylor kind of feel." He said as he strummed his guitar:

_"I'm learning to live without you now,_

_But I miss you sometimes,_

_The more I know, the less I understand,_

_All the things I thought I knew, I'm learning again._

_I've been trying to get down to the heart of the matter,_

_But my will gets weak, and my thoughts seem to scatter,_

_But I think it's about forgiveness, forgiveness,_

_Even if, you don't love me anymore."_

He strummed the guitar a few more times, and then looked up expectantly. "So, what'd ya think?"

"I liked it, it sounds good, though not what I'm used to hearing from you." Quatre said with a soft smile on his face. "Are you planning on singing that on our next stop?"

"Eh, I don't know." Duo said with a shake of his head.

"Why not? Sounds ok, just got to finish it." Wufei added.

"Nah, you guys don't get it. My music, the stuff I write, sure it sounds ok, but sometimes I just like writing music for myself, not for everyone. Ask Hilde, ever since I got my record deal, I've written hundreds of songs with music to go along with them, but I never meant to put them out there to be criticized and heard by the public. They're for me, like; my own little journal." He said with a soft smile of his own, and his friends understood. "I think I'm gonna take a nap before we land, I know it's hours from now, but I figure I won't be so jet lagged." He said as they agreed.

Trowa, Quatre, and Wufei put on their head phones and watched the rest of the movie while Duo took his nap. Thankfully to his surprise, he dreamt of nothing.

To Be Continued....

Ok, so there's that one for you. I'm kind of pro-longing Heero's entrance into this fic, and I have a surprise for you guys, but it will not be revealed until the next chapter. But expect Heero in the next 2 to three chapters. Please REVIEW!!! And Read and Review Scraps!


	14. Music To Lose Yourself In

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing.... Damn... Song: "Building A Mystery" as well as "Do What You Have To Do." By Sarah Mclauchlan.

Pairings: Eventual 121, maybe some 343.

Warnings: Eventual Shonen Ai, maybe violence, and Rock n' Roll baby.

Notes:_ Ok, so I hope you like the fic so far. I'm working hard on it, and I just wanted it to be something that everybody could like. Except for the language and violence, there really aren't any warnings attached to the next few parts. Again this is my first 'long' GW fic, and I think that I will improve in my story telling as the story goes along. As a side note, as a musician, I appreciate good music, and since I don't want to publicly post my OWN lyrics as parts of this fic, I have decided that Duo's songs will be songs by other artists. They will be noted at the beginning of each fic, as I do not want it to seem like I stole their music, rather than borrow it for my own purposes. So, with that said, I would like to thank everyone who supports me, and to all the readers I would like to say: Enjoy._

**In The Valley Of The Diamond Dogs**

**By Black Dragon62**

Chapter 14: Music To Lose Yourself In

_"You come out at night,_

_That's when the energy come,_

_And the dark side's light,_

_And the vampires roam,_

_Strut your Rasta wear and your suicide poem,_

_And a cross from a faith that died,_

_Before Jesus came._

_You're buildin' a mystery,_

_You live in a church,_

_Where you sleep with voodoo dolls,_

_And you won't give up the search,_

_For the ghosts in the halls,_

_You wear sandals in the snow and a,_

_Smile that won't wash away,_

_Can you look out the window,_

_Without your shadow getting in the way,_

_You're so beautiful,_

_With an edge and a charm,_

_So careful, when I'm in your arms,_

_Cause you're working, building a mystery,_

_Holding on, holding it in,_

_Yeah you're working, building a mystery,_

_And choosing so, carefully,_

_You woke up screaming aloud,_

_A prayer from your secret god,_

_You feed off of fear,_

_Hold back your tears,_

_Oh you give us a tantrum,_

_And a know it all grin,_

_Just when we need one,_

_When the evening's thin,_

_You're so beautiful,_

_A beautiful fucked up man,_

_Setting up your razor wire shrine,_

_Cause you're working, building a mystery,_

_Holding on, holding it in,_

_Yeah you're working, building a mystery,_

_And choosing so, carefully"_

Was the song that poured from the headphones that Duo was wearing. He had fallen asleep, and he looked about the plane, and saw that most of the people were asleep as well. He looked out of the small window, and let his mind wander to the same damn subject he'd been thinking of for the past six years.

"Ladies and gentleman, we are preparing to land, I must remind you to..."

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_"What ravanges our spirit,_

_Conjures this temptuous rage,_

_Created you a monster,_

_Broken by the rule of love._

_And fate has led you through it,_

_You do what you have to do,_

_And fate has led you through it,_

_You do what you have to do,_

_And I have a sense to recognize,_

_That I don't know how to let you go._

_Every moment marked with apparitions of you soul,_

_I'm ever swiftly moving, trying to escape this desire,_

_The yearning to be near you I do what I have to do,_

_Oh the yearning to be near you I do what I have to do._

_But I have a sense to recognize,_

_That I don't know how to let you go,_

_That I don't know how to let you go,_

_Glowing ember, burning hot, burning slow,_

_And deep within I'm shaken by the violence of existing,_

_For only you,_

_I know I can't be with you I do what I have to do,_

_I know I can't be with you I do what I have to do._

_But I have a sense to recognize,_

_That I don't know how to let you go,_

_Don't know how to let you go,_

_Don't know how to let you go,_

_That I don't know how to let you go."_

Was the song that came out of the speakers as a handsome young man, with dark blue eyes drove down the road.

The End.

Ha just kidding!

To Be Continued.......................

Just this damn insomnia, and listening to Sarah Mclauchlan isn't helping me sleep. Hope that didn't confuse anyone. Duo like grin And yes, I was just teasing you guys. I actually started back college this week, and have been swamped with homework; and that spawned a couple of ideas for future fics. Just thought I'd write a little something for you guys. The next one will actually contain more I promise! Review on this one, and hopefully you guys aren't too mad... Grins REVIEW!


	15. Surfacing

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing.... Damn... Song: "Shadow On The Sun" Audioslave.

Pairings: Eventual 121, maybe some 343.

Warnings: Eventual Shonen Ai, maybe violence, and Rock n' Roll baby.

Notes:_ Standard as all the others, only this one is going to be different. I had to write this one out, it wouldn't let me study!!!! It's a complete SURPRISE!!!! I can't really explain it without giving it away, so you'll have to read one to know what I'm blithering on about. By the way: this is probably going to be twice as long as the chapters before it, and I suspect that the chapters that follow it will be just as long, maybe longer depending on how the mood strikes. But anyways, Enjoy!_

**In The Valley Of The Diamond Dogs**

**By Black Dragon62**

Chapter 15: Surfacing

"Hajimemashite, welcome to Japan." A young lady with a gray business suit said as she bowed to Duo and his entourage. He bowed back respectfully, but unsure of what to say, so he just said the first thing that came to his mind.

"Thanks, glad to be here! Got any food?" Duo said instantly, and was almost immediately smacked in the back of the head for his exclamation.

The woman just smiled at him kindly, completely un-offended. She handed him a black folder. "Here you go Duo-san, these are your reservations at the finest hotels and restaurants that Japan has to offer. We are very pleased that you have allowed us the honor of playing in Tokyo." She bowed gracefully. And Duo bowed back, unsure if it was what he was supposed to do, but did it anyway. "I welcome you and your group to the wonders of Japan." She said as she walked away in a measured pace.

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"Nice place." Duo said as he looked the hotel room over. The Imperial Hotel was lovely, beautifully decorated to suit neutral tastes. "So, who rooms with who?"

"Quatre, Trowa, and Wufei all have their separate rooms. So this one is all yours." Hilde said, a little yawn escaped her while she spoke, it was 3 in the morning when they had gotten to their hotel, and everyone was extremely exhausted and sleepy, everyone except Duo. "Goodnight Duo." Hilde said as she left the room to walk back to hers to lay her head down. Just as she was leaving, Wufei, Quatre and Trowa stepped in.

Quatre was looking around the room for Duo, when he spotted the figure sitting by one of the large glass windows with his guitar in hand. He watched him with soft Aqua eyes. He saw the delicate pale hands tune the guitar perfectly, and then he saw something he'd only seen once before. He saw Duo singing for himself, rather than for an audience. Saw him once again open up his soul to the music that he held with in, and it marveled him how much emotion Duo put into his first few plucks of the silver guitar strings.

"_Once upon a time I was of the mind,  
To lay your burden down,  
And leave you where you stood,  
And you believed I could,  
You'd seen it done before,  
I could read your thoughts,  
Tell you what you saw,  
And never say a word,  
Now all that is gone,  
Over with and done - never to return.  
  
I can tell you why,  
People die alone,  
I can tell you I'm,  
A shadow on the sun,  
  
Staring at the loss,  
Looking for a cause,  
And never really sure,  
Nothing but a hole,  
To live without a soul,  
And nothing to be learned,  
  
I can tell you why,  
People go insane,  
I can show you how,  
You could do the same,  
I can tell you why,  
The end will never come,  
I can tell you I'm,  
A shadow on the sun."  
_

The passionate guitar rift was played, and the notes floated to their awaiting ears, while he let off chord after chord in simple yet intricate precision. It was beautiful to watch.

_  
"Shapes of every size,  
Move behind my eyes,  
Doors inside my head,  
Bolted from within,  
Every drop of flame,  
Lights a candle in,  
Memory of the one,  
Who lives inside my skin._

_I can tell you why,  
People go insane,  
I can show you how,  
You could do the same,  
I can tell you why,  
The end will never come,  
I can tell you I'm,  
A shadow on the sun."_

The song slowed, and ended entirely. Violet eyes looked up to his audience, and for a second, Quatre thought he saw Duo's eyes misted over with what only could be tears. But as soon as he focused on the amethyst depths, they were quickly devoid of liquid. They looked at each other, then back at the guitarist. Duo stood and stretched lazily.

"G'night guys." He said in a quiet voice as the door was shut behind him.

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It was 8 AM in Tokyo, and Wufei was up and about. _I've got to go out an see this interesting city. I've always wanted to come to Japan, and this is the perfect excuse to go out._ He dressed lightly in blue jeans and a black T-shirt with sneakers. He looked and felt, like a kid again.

The city was up a buzzing with the sights and sounds of thousands of people. Their hotel was only a ten minute walk from the Ginza center, so he decided to start there. He walked at a brisk, but relaxed pace through the cities endless streets and people.

He looked from store to store, marveling at everything from it's technological devices to it's beautiful ink art work to the millions of books on their shelves. He was thoroughly enjoying himself when he suddenly bumped into a young woman. The woman was carrying a lot of bags and packages, when she bumped into the young Chinese man, she inadvertently dropped most of her charge. He turned and saw the woman already picking up her things. Her hat blinded him from her face, but he bent down and helped her pick things up.

"I'm sorry Madame. Sumimasen." He said in his shotty Japanese accent. He helped her put her things back in her bags and back in her arms.

"Iie, arigato." The woman said without bringing her head up. Her straw hat obscured his view. But he noticed that the woman was fairly young.

"I must apologize, I wasn't looking where I was going and-"

"It's alright Wufei, it was an accident, no harm done." She said, cutting off his last sentence. He looked at her curiously.

"How did-" He began to say when she lifted her head enough for him to see her beautiful and charming face. Blond hair and blue eyes, peaches and cream complexion. _It couldn't be..._ He stared in bafflement.

"Cat got your tongue?"

"Sally." She smiled at his recognition.

"Long time no see. Wufei." His name rolled off of her tongue in a sultry yet mysterious way. He shivered inwardly. She was aware that he was staring like a gapping fish, so she did what anyone would do when seeing someone after a long time. "Let's go get some tea." She said, walking in a random direction.

Wufei noticed she wasn't standing in front of him anymore so he quickly turned to follow the woman. He watched her walk casually into a restaurant with a red door with silver boarders. He stood behind her as they were sat at a table in a discrete corner of the establishment. She spoke something to the waiter and waited for them to bring back some sweet smelling tea and salt biscuits. Wufei looked at her confused.

"Been here before?" He asked, looking at her as she took a bite out of one of the brown cookies. She nodded simply in reply and swallowed.

"I come here very often, the food is good, but I come here because I can be alone with my thoughts." She said, pouring herself a cup of tea, she poured one for Wufei as well, but the young man was looking at the orange liquid in a untrusting manner. "Orange blossom tea." She said, sliding him one of the small porcelain cups. He picked it up carefully, smelled it, and lightly took a sip. _Acceptable_, he thought to himself. "So, what brings you to Japan?" She started the conversation with a neutral topic.

"I could ask you the same. I haven't heard from you in 5 years." He said in a biting tone.

"Five years, 3 months, 12 days, and 18 hours." She corrected.

"I didn't know you kept such an accurate count." He said, a little confused, but he never let it show from behind his mask of indifference. He saw her shoulders shrug dispassionately.

"I had nothing better to do." She said, not completely telling him the truth. "So, how's the wife?"

Wufei bit his lip, but was not completely unnoticed by his female companion. She nodded her head in understanding. "When?" She asked.

"Three years ago. In child birth." He said quietly.

"My condolences." She said honestly. They sat in an awkward silence for a long time, each person lost deep into their thoughts. Finally one of them broke the silence.

"Why are you here?" He asked, narrowing his eyes to seemingly establish the question.

She tilted her head, letting some of the delicate blond hair fall out of their straw prison. She took her hat off and set it on the empty chair next to her. She let her sunlight blond hair fan out in a beautiful halo of silk, Wufei watched this with curious eyes. She smiled, and parted her rosy lips to answer.

"I left China for, _personal_ reasons." She started. "I needed to get away for a while, and ended up here, went to Siam for a while, then to Cambodia, and finally I ended up in Tokyo, and I liked it here." She said with a faint smile on her young face. "So I stayed. And been here ever since. Relena comes and visits every now and then, so does Lucrezia and Dorothy, but only when they are here on Preventer business. Time and time again those stubborn women want me to join and work under Une, but up until now, I haven't had a good reason to join them again." The smile faltered a little as she remembered the faces of her comrades. "I work in a bookstore near my apartment, and have a quiet and peaceful life now, why give that up now? I guess I'm being a bit selfish for not working for the greater good, but I deserved this, at least for a while longer."

He listened to her, and nodded at all appropriate times, but never said a word till she finished. "I always wondered what happened to you. After you left, life went on, but differently, I didn't really have anyone to talk to, as it was." He hid a smile that was about to grace his handsome face, but kept his face a total mask of indifference. "I always thought that we-" He caught himself from falling over the edge of no return.

"What?" She wondered.

"Nothing." He said simply, cowering back into his hole of denial.

She smiled softly. "I always did like you, you know." She said as he looked up. Earth brown eyes met Ocean blue ones. He must have looked shocked. She smiled a little wider. "You didn't know?" She laughed as he shook his head in a negative gesture. "I did." She said after her laughter subsided. "I was always secretly hoping, that you would think of me, the way that I thought of you. When you and Meiran married, I was happy for you, but my heart broke into so many pieces, and my dreams shattered into fragments that I wasn't able to mend them even with the strongest of will I had inside. So I did the best thing I could do, I left, without a word to anyone, just picked up, and left. To start new in a place that no one knew who I was, what I used to be, who I used to be." She looked down into her tea. "I ran. I'm not proud of it, but it might have been the best thing for me at the time. It wasn't just you I was running from, I was partly trying to get away from what I used to be, running from my past, chasing a new future."

He looked at her bent head and was completely and utterly speechless. _What do I say to that?_ He thought for a moment or two, then began to speak softly. "I liked you too." He said, and as he met her eyes, he spoke softly into her soft face. "I loved Meiran, the only way a husband must love his wife. But our marriage was already predetermined, you know that. I learned to love her, and I don't regret it. But the woman would also not let me wallow in self pity and loneliness for the rest of my life, she would have wanted me to move one. And I think I'm ready too." He looked deep into her eyes as he lightly grasped her chin. "If you'll let me."

She smiled, not the shy smile that she gave the world, but she smiled a smile that she reserved only for herself, one that was beautiful in it's simplicity, a smile that would brighten a room and blind the observer's heart and win him over instantly. Wufei smiled one of his own.

He lowered his head as softly as a feather falling from Heaven, to land a light and chaste kiss on the lips of the angel in front of him. The world seemed to fade and disappear in a whirl of colors and lights of different degrees, then slowly faded to black as the pair closed their eyes and ears to the world outside.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Hey, where's Wufei?" Duo asked Quatre and Trowa over tea. The pair shrugged their shoulders and shook their heads, neither knowing where their friend had disappeared to.

To Be Continued......................

So what did you guys think? I had to give Wufei a little lovin', poor guy was beginning to die of depression.

Wufei: No I wasn't!!!!

Me: Like I said, he was **DYING** of depression.

Wufei: And I told you, you crazy woman that I am not depressed! Just a little left out.

Me: That's why this chapter was all about you, and you got some much needed attention didn't you?

Wufei: Well, yeah but-

Me: Then Shut Up!

Wufei: pouts

So, what did you guys think? Like? Didn't like? Leave me some Reviews!!!!


	16. Learning To Breathe

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing.... Damn...

Songs: "Learning to Breathe" Switchfoot

"Love is a Movement" Switchfoot

"Ragdoll" Maroon 5

"Beautiful Let Down" Switchfoot

"Dare you To Move" Switchfoot

"We Were Meant To Live" Switchfoot

"Diamond Dogs" David Bowie

Pairings: Eventual 121, maybe some 343.

Warnings: Eventual Shonen Ai, maybe violence, and Rock n' Roll baby.

Notes:_ Standard as all the others, only this one is going to be different. I have unanimously decided that this will be a double if not triple length feature. So be prepared to read, cause it's gonna be long, but when you start reading, I think you'll hit this one in one sitting, because, there are some surprises comin' your way. I suggest that you have a listen to the music I have chosen for Duo's songs, you may or may not like them, but I think it would give you a better idea of what background the music is actually coming from. I have also decided that I will EXTEND the length of this fic, because if it ends in the next two chapters, I think that it would be boring. I'm glad that most of you liked the last chapter, even though some did not, I don't regret writing it, I wanted Wufei to get some love too, because he was being somewhat neglected and it happens in more fics than I care to count, so I just added a bit for him in there. But either way, I appreciate what you guys think, whether good or not, some feedback is better than none. _

_This fic is dedicated to the memory of my brother, Kohaku, I hope that no matter what I do, that he'll be proud of me. I love and miss you. _

**In The Valley Of The Diamond Dogs**

**By Black Dragon62**

Chapter 16 : Learning To Breathe

Early morning, the sun had but risen in the East, and was shinning through all of the East facing windows in Tokyo. It was six in the morning, a little early for people to get up, and a little late for some people to be awake. One in particular.

A large beautiful German Shepard was barking incessantly at something on the floor. The dog's owner rolled over in bed. _It's 6 in the morning Max...._ He thought as he cracked open one eye to look at the digital clock on the nightstand. He put his left arm over his eyes and groaned as the dog kept barking.

"MAX!" A low baritone commanded the dog. "Shut the hell UP!!" His deep voice rumbled through the house to reach the dog's delicate ears. The dog stopped barking for a few seconds, looked around for his master, then started barking again. _Shimatta, you little bastard. If I didn't have to go to work today I'd have you tied outside with a muzzle, insolent mutt..._ He thought angrily as he decided to get up and see what was causing his normally passive dog to spazz out. He climbed out of the bed, leaving the royal blue seats disorganized and wrinkled as his body left the safety of the warm blankets. He walked slowly, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, towards the front of the house. There, he spotted the black and brown menace. He scowled darkly at the canine, who was still barking and had not noticed his master's presence in the room. "Max, quiet." Said his deep and dark voice.

The dog quieted and shrunk back from the harsh tone. He pressed his doggy ears to his brown head and shrunk a little in size. He tucked his tail between his legs and walked over carefully to his master. He ran his head up and down his leg in a silent apology and pleading for forgiveness. His master smiled and scratched the big baby behind the ears. _You're all bark._ He thought amused. After indulging his dog, he looked towards the floor, and saw what his dog was making such a big fuss over. On the floor, was an 8'x10' creamy white envelope, no name or address on the front except for 'his' name on it's clean surface. He scratched his flat stomach and he picked it up, and flipped it over a few times. He was completely puzzled. He noticed the dog looking up at him with deep brown eyes, pleading.

"Fine, come on, I'll feed you." He said as he walked towards the kitchen, and the big dog trotted happily after him and sat obediently besides his food dish, which was being filled with kibble. He waited patiently for his owner to finish filling the bowl before lunging in and glutton himself.

Meanwhile he sat at the kitchen table, and laid the envelope on the counter to ponder it's contents. After 5 minutes of watching the harmless envelope, he carefully took a letter opener and sliced one side of the envelope cleanly. After no powder or explosion happened, he decided it wasn't dangerous and removed the contents. He removed one 8'x10' piece of paper, and a smaller piece of thicker paper, decorated in blue and white with black lettering, and also a plastic card. He was confused and was unsure of the item's meanings. So, he set to read the elegant letters on the paper in his hand. After reading it thoroughly, he was even more confused.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"But it's Saturday!!!" Duo whined. He looked at Hilde with pleading eyes. "Can we skip the sound check for today and just go sight seeing or something?" Duo pleaded with big watery violet eyes.

"No. And stop asking. The show is in 2 hours, and you need to do a sound check, wardrobe check, equipment check, and you need something to eat. We have a lot of work to do and 2 hours to do it in, now if you will kindly stop whining for more than 3 minutes, we could actually get it done, so we can get the show over, _THEN_ you can go sight seeing." Hilde said a bit out of breath. She looked at Duo, then her expression softened just a bit. "Look D, this is the last show, and you don't have to do anymore work for a _long_ time, so let's just get this over with, deal?"

"Deal." Duo said sprightly. He walked away to do the sound check. Hilde watched him go, then snuck out towards the dressing rooms. She found Duo's dressing room close to the stage and opened the door. She found what she had been looking for. Trowa and Quatre were sitting comfortably on the over-stuffed beige sofas, eating fruits from the welcome baskets. She smiled and walked over to the pair, but noticed someone was missing.

"Where's Wufei?" She asked them. And saw 2 pairs of shoulders shrug. "Has anyone seen him since we arrived at least?"

Trowa looked thoughtful for a few seconds. "No, actually, I haven't seen him since we arrived Thursday. His bed has been slept in though, so he might come in late and leave early."

"I can't believe we lost some already..." Hilde said as she turned to leave the room, pinching the bridge of her nose as an oncoming migraine assaulted her senses.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Showtime." Hilde said as she pushed Duo on stage. Duo stumbled a bit, but caught himself before anyone saw. Only one back light was on the stage, showing his outline to the crowd, cheers and whistles erupted form the crowd as Duo's shadow took his place behind the mike. He licked his lips, ready to wow the crowd. The lights on the stage all went on at the same time, blinding and mesmerizing the people in their seats. Duo stood looking at the ground in an Elvis pose, then he raised his eyes and looked at the crowd, who cheered and screamed his name.

"What's up?" He started conversationally. He shifted his weight from one foot to another, and smiled. "Welcome, to the last show of the _Diamond Dogs _tour. We're gonna make this one extra special. So, Japan, are we ready?" He said as he backed away and the music slowly started. He stepped back up the mike, "We're gonna start out nice and slow, and maybe, just maybe, we're gonna get a little crazy...." He said as his voice drifted above an acoustic guitar. Little did the rockstar know, just who was hiding in the crowd, concealed within the shadows in blue jeans, and a black leather jacket.

_"Hello, good morning, how you do?  
What makes your rising sun so new?,  
I could use a fresh beginning too,  
All of my regrets are nothing new,  
So this is the way that I say I need You,  
This is the way that I'm.  
  
Learning to breathe,  
I'm learning to crawl,  
I'm finding that You and You alone can break my fall,  
I'm living again, awake and alive,  
I'm dying to breathe in these abundant skies."  
  
_Something in the lyrics, maybe it was the sound of the music, that made it to his ears. But he was completely lost in it.

_"Hello, good morning, how you been?  
Yesterday left my head kicked in,  
I never, never thought that,  
I would fall like that,  
Never knew that I could hurt this bad,  
_

_Learning to breathe,  
I'm learning to crawl,  
I'm finding that You and You alone can break my fall,  
I'm living again, awake and alive,  
I'm dying to breathe in these abundant skies,  
  
So this is the way I say I need You,  
This is the way that I say I love You,  
This is the way that I say I'm Yours,  
This is the way, this is the way,  
_

_That I'm Learning to breathe,  
I'm learning to crawl,  
I'm finding that You and You alone can break my fall,  
I'm living again, awake and alive,  
I'm dying to breathe in these abundant skies."_

The song ended and the crowd begged for more. Duo looked out into the crowd, but was thankful that he couldn't look directly at anyone. He was in a sea of people, and lost in his own thoughts. "Alright! Let's pick it up a little, shaaalllll we?" An acoustic guitar picked up a beat, and he started moving his body in time to the rhythm.

_"A day in LA,  
And millions of faces,  
Are looking for movement,  
Cause everything's stuck,  
And everything's frozen,  
And everyone's broken,  
And nobody moves,  
And everybody's scared,  
That the motion will never come.  
  
This is the incompletion,  
Stuck in a line,  
  
Love is the movement,  
Love is a revolution,  
This is redemption,  
We don't have to slow back down,  
  
The stars are alive,  
They dance to the music,  
Of the deepest emotion,  
And all of the world,  
Is singing in time,  
As the heavens are caving in,  
Mysterious ways,  
Why God gave His life,  
To put motion inside my soul.  
_

_Love is the movement,  
Love is a revolution,  
This is redemption,  
We don't have to slow back down._

_  
It's bigger than cold religion,  
It's bigger than life,  
  
We're starting now,  
We don't have to slow back down,  
_

_Love is the movement,  
Love is a revolution,  
This is redemption,  
We don't have to slow back down,  
  
This is a revolutioin,  
_

_Love is the movement,  
Love is a revolution,  
This is redemption,  
We don't have to slow back down,  
  
Get up, get up,  
Love is moving you now."_

"I'm changing it up a little. I don't like the last show to be the same as this one. I write new material all the time, and I'm sharing it with all of you. You know, you all sound like crazy motherfuckers." Duo said as the crowd cheered. He smiled and leaned in closer to the mike. "But I might just be the craziest motherfucker here!" He missed someone nodding to his statement in the crowd. Again, the stranger listened attentively. "This song. This song was written about 3 years ago, but this is the first time it's being played here tonight. I hope you guys like it."

_"How ya feelin'?  
The day has had its way with both of us  
And oh, I've gone out of my way  
But I'm not free  
From this pain I'm feeling  
I was a fool to think someday  
You would come around  
But no, no, no  
I'm not thinking that way  
  
'Cause now i see  
You are not what you seem  
You are a mystery to me  
Sometimes I just want to scream  
  
I think you should just go away 'cause  
There's no necessity for you to stay and  
Next time you come around my way  
Forget it baby  
You're not comin' in  
  
How's your day been? (yeah)  
'Cause mine has taken strange and ugly turns  
But no, no, no  
I feel better today  
Because I'm off my knees  
  
You are not what you seem  
You are a mystery to me  
Sometimes I just want to scream  
  
I think you should just go away 'cause  
There's no necessity for you to stay and  
Next time you come around my way  
Forget it baby  
You're not comin' in  
A heart ready for a life of sorrow  
No you can't come back tomorrow  
Shut my windows  
Lock my doors  
'Cause my heart won't be your ragdoll anymore (yeah)  
  
I think you should just go away 'cause  
There's no necessity for you to stay and  
Next time you come around my way  
Forget it baby  
You're not comin' in  
A heart ready for a life of sorrow  
No you can't come back tomorrow  
Shut my windows  
Lock my doors  
'Cause my heart won't be your ragdoll anymore (oh oh yeah yeah)  
  
'Cause my heart won't be your ragdoll anymore"_

"I wrote that..." Duo said a little breathless. "I wrote that a while ago. But now, to all of you that have suffered a loss, I know you can relate right?" He heard positives from a few places in the crowd. "Now, let's see, what should we play next?" He said with a mischievous tone in his voice. "Oh, I know!"

_"It was a beautiful let down,  
When I crashed and burned,  
When I found myself alone unknown and hurt,  
I was a beautiful let down,  
The day I knew,  
That all the riches this world had to offer me,  
Would never do,  
  
In a world full of bitter pain and bitter doubt,  
I was trying so hard to fit in, fit in,  
Until I found out,  
I don't belong here,  
I don't belong here,  
I will carry a cross and a song where I don't belong,  
But I don't belong,  
  
It was a beautiful let down,  
When you found me here,  
Yeah for once in a blue moon I see everything clear,  
I'll be a beautiful let down,  
That's what I'll forever be,  
And though it may cost my soul,  
I'll sing for free,  
We're still chasin our tails and the rising sun,  
In our dark water planet,  
Still spins in a race,  
Where no one wins and no one's one,  
  
I don't belong here,  
I don't belong here,  
I'm gonna set sight and set sail for the kingdom come,  
Your kingdom come,  
Won't you let me down yeah,  
Let my foolish proud,  
Forever let me down,  
  
Easy living, not much like your name,  
Easy dying, you look just about the same,  
Won't you please take me off your list,  
Easy living please come on and let me down,  
  
We are a beautiful let down,  
Painfully uncool,  
The church of the dropouts,  
And losers and sinners and failures and the fools,  
Oh what a beautiful let down,  
Are we salt in the wound,  
Let us sing one true tune,  
  
I don't belong here,  
I don't belong here,  
I don't belong here,  
Feels like I don't belong here,  
Let me down,  
Let me down,  
Feels like I'm let down,  
Let me down.  
Cuz I don't belong here,  
Please,  
Won't you let me down?"_

The crowd was going crazy. And that made Duo smile wider. They watched as his body moved and swayed to the music. "Now, this is one of my favorite songs. I know you have all heard it. If you can't remember, here's a reminder."

_"Welcome to the planet  
Welcome to existence  
Everyone's here  
Everyone's here  
Everybody's watching you now  
Everybody waits for you now  
What happens next  
What happens next  
  
I dare you to move  
I dare you to move  
I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor  
I dare you to move  
I dare you to move  
Like today never happened  
Today never happened before  
  
Welcome to the fallout  
Welcome to resistance  
The tension is here  
Tension is here  
Between who you are and who you could be  
Between how it is and how it should be  
  
I dare you to move  
I dare you to move  
I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor  
I dare you to move  
I dare you to move  
Like today never happened  
Today never happened before  
  
Maybe redemption has stories to tell  
Maybe forgiveness is right where you fell  
Where can you run to escape from yourself?  
Where you gonna go?  
Where you gonna go?  
Salvation is here  
  
I dare you to move  
I dare you to move  
I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor  
I dare you to move  
I dare you to move  
Like today never happened  
Today never happened  
Today never happened  
Today never happened before"_

"This next song. This next song was written on my stay in Rome. It came to me from someone, a dear friend of mine, and I thought it would make one kickass song. So, this is for him, even thought he might never hear it..." Duo carefully picked up his guitar for the first time that night, and strummed it as the crowd listened attentively.

_1."Fumbling his confidence  
And wondering why the world has passed him by  
Hoping that he's bent for more than arguments  
And failed attempts to fly, fly  
  
We were meant to live for so much more  
Have we lost ourselves?  
Somewhere we live inside  
Somewhere we live inside  
We were meant to live for so much more  
Have we lost ourselves?  
Somewhere we live inside  
  
Dreaming about Providence  
And whether mice or men have second tries  
Maybe we've been livin with our eyes half open  
Maybe we're bent and broken, broken  
  
We were meant to live for so much more  
Have we lost ourselves?  
Somewhere we live inside  
Somewhere we live inside  
We were meant to live for so much more  
Have we lost ourselves?  
Somewhere we live inside  
  
We want more than this world's got to offer  
We want more than this world's got to offer  
We want more than the wars of our fathers  
And everything inside screams for second life, yeah  
  
We were meant to live for so much more  
Have we lost ourselves?  
We were meant to live for so much more  
Have we lost ourselves?  
We were meant to live for so much more  
Have we lost ourselves?  
We were meant to live  
We were meant to live"  
_

"Ok, I hope you guys liked that one. Our time is up. So, Goodnight!" Duo said as strode off the stage. Then he heard the crowd murmuring in disappointment. He counted..._1, 2, ,3, 4, 5...._ Then he waltzed back on stage. "Fuck it, how 'bout one more song?" He heard the crowd agree unanimously. "Alright. Here is the signature to my tour. HIT IT!"

_"This ain't rock'n'roll. this is genocide!  
  
As they pulled you out of the oxygen tent  
You asked for the latest party  
With your silicone hump and your ten inch stump  
Dressed like a priest you was  
Tod browning's freak you was  
  
Crawling down the alley on your hands and knee  
I'm sure you're not protected, for it's plain to see  
The diamond dogs are poachers and they hide behind trees  
Hunt you to the ground they will, mannequins with kill appeal  
  
(will they come? )  
I'll keep a friend serene  
(will they come? )  
Oh baby, come unto me  
(will they come? )  
Well, she's come, been and gone.  
Come out of the garden, baby  
You'll catch your death in the fog  
Young girl, they call them the diamond dogs  
Young girl, they call them the diamond dogs  
  
The halloween jack is a real cool cat  
And he lives on top of manhattan chase  
The elevator's broke, so he slides down a rope  
Onto the street below, oh tarzie, go man go  
  
Meet his little hussy with his ghost town approach  
Her face is sans feature, but she wears a dali brooch  
Sweetly reminiscent, something mother used to bake  
Wrecked up and paralyzed, diamond dogs are sableized  
  
(will they come? )  
I'll keep a friend serene  
(will they come? )  
Oh baby, come unto me  
(will they come? )  
Well, she's come, been and gone.  
Come out of the garden, baby  
You'll catch your death in the fog  
Young girl, they call them the diamond dogs  
Young girl, they call them the diamond dogs  
  
Oo-oo-ooh, call them the diamond dogs  
Oo-oo-ooh, call them the diamond dogs  
  
In the year of the scavenger, the season of the bitch  
Sashay on the boardwalk, scurry to the ditch  
Just another future song, lonely little kitsch  
(there's gonna be sorrow) try and wake up tomorrow  
  
(will they come? )  
I'll keep a friend serene  
(will they come? )  
Oh baby, come unto me  
(will they come? )  
Well, she's come, been and gone.  
Come out of the garden, baby  
You'll catch your death in the fog  
Young girl, they call them the diamond dogs  
Young girl, they call them the diamond dogs  
  
Oo-oo-ooh, call them the diamond dogs  
Oo-oo-ooh, call them the diamond dogs  
Bow-wow, woof woof, bow-wow, wow  
Call them the diamond dogs  
Dogs  
Call them the diamond dogs, call them, call them  
Call them the diamond dogs, call them, call them, ooo  
Call them the diamond dogs  
  
Keep cool  
Diamond dogs rule, ok  
Hey-hey-hey-hey  
  
Beware of the diamond dogs  
Beware of the diamond dogs  
Beware of the diamond dogs  
Beware of the diamond dogs  
Beware of the diamond dogs"_

"Thank You Japan! Goodnight!!!!!" He said as he bowed and waved to the crowd. He jumped into the arms of Hilde, whom he swung around happily. "I'm done! No more concerts, no more recording for a long time! Vacation time baby!"

He looked at his friends with a smile on his face. He saw Wufei come in from behind, with someone's hand in his. Duo looked puzzled, and the rest of them turned to see what Duo was looking at. There, hand in hand, stood Wufei, and Sally. Duo grinned even wider. He nodded and watched as the pair walked off hand in hand. He looked over to Trowa and Quatre, and smiled as the pair were dumbfounded.

"Trowa and I are going to grab some dinner, care to join us?" Quatre asked.

"Nah, I'm tired, I'm going back to the hotel and going to bed," Hilde said as she faked a yawn and walked off as well.

They both looked at Duo. Who shook his head. "Three's a crowd. Go on, I got some stuff to do." He watched as they walked away as well.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Duo sat in his dressing room, untying his braid, and combing it out, and re-braiding it again. He heard a soft knock on the door. _Must be the food. _He thought absent mindedly. "Come in." He hollered.

The door opened, and silent feet entered and shut the door carefully. He waited.

Duo looked into the mirror as he finished tying his braid. And saw something that almost made him faint. He turned in the chair and stared wide eyed at the person in the room. "Heero?"

To Be Continued.............................

1. If you remember from Chapter 9, 'We Were Meant to Live' is exactly what Heero had said to Duo in his dream.

Another cliffhanger?!!! WTF?! Sorry, I have to study for Biology so I couldn't make it longer than it already is. I hope you enjoyed it. I FINALLY brought Heero into this fic. I hope some of you are happy about that. The next chapter should be finished before the 25th, so stay tuned! This fic is dedicated to my brother.

Heero: You couldn't have brought me in earlier?

Me: No, that would have ruined the story line I planned out, and you wouldn't want that now would you?

Heero: Grunts I would have made it better, you saw the reviews, the people love me.

Me: rolls eyes Yeah yeah, whatever. Big headed...

Heero: What?

Me: Nevermind....


	17. Shadow on the Sun

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing.... Damn... Song "From The Sun" Maroon 5 and "Cold" by Annie Lennox

Pairings: Eventual 121, maybe some 343.

Warnings: Eventual Shonen Ai, maybe violence, and Rock n' Roll baby.

Notes:_ Standard as all the others, only this one is going to be different. This one is going to be special. You'll see why. Don't worry, Heero and Duo will talk their "Feelings" out here. So don't go postal on me, they'll talk things out in this chapter as well as the next one, I have a couple of things I want to sort out, and this is how it's gonna be. Ja ne!_

_**Also wanted to say a very Happy Birthday to Katlin. I hope you had a good one!**_

**In The Valley Of The Diamond Dogs**

**By Black Dragon62**

Chapter 17: Shadow on the Sun

"What are you doing here?" Duo asked incredulously. _Am I dreaming?_ Heero held up a piece of paper, a card, and a ticket. Duo blinked, wide eyed for a good two minutes. "I need a drink."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The pair of them walked in awkward silence down the silent streets of Tokyo, it was fairly early, it was only 9pm. Duo looked at his feet nervously, he needed something to calm his nerves, so they both had agreed to go to one of the local bars/ restaurants. They walked uneasily for what seemed like an eternity, until finally, Heero stopped and looked up at a neon blue sign that read, 'The Blue Raven' on the wall. Walking in, they noticed a thin fog of cigarette smoke, and an aroma that could only be liquor. They sat in a booth in one of the four corners in the joint, but hadn't and didn't get a chance to say or order anything.

On stage, a band was finished setting up, and the lights dimmed even further. Both looked at the empty stage in wonder as well as curiosity. The stage was dark, but one could make out a thin figure walking onto the stage. The figure took it's positions behind the mike with it's head bent down. One spot light illuminated the stage on the figure, and it was a woman. A tall, thin girl with jet black hair the length that rivaled Duo's. She looked up through her black bangs and had the audience lost in her dark gaze. She was clad in a white tank top and black denim vest, with form fitting black jeans and combat boots. Her child like face gave the impression that she was about 18 to 19 years old, but her eyes looked centuries older. She moved her head back to look at the band, and as she did, her long hair, which was in a French braid but only half done; glinted white in the fluorescent light. Her thin hand grasped the mike and a jazzy song started to play, and she began to sing in a velvet like voice.

_"After school  
Walking home  
Fresh dirt under my fingernails  
And I can smell hot asphalt  
Cars screech to a halt to let me pass  
And I cannot remember  
What life was like through photographs  
Trying to recreate images life gives us from our past  
  
And sometimes it's a sad song"_

Her honeyed voice poured from her lips through the speakers, and had the audience captivated in her song. Her body swayed and moved to the rhythm like a snake and it's charmer. Duo stared in fascination at this girl, who had him caught between dreams of sun and rain with reality. Her soft tones and words wafted to his ears on unseen breezes, words which were like water to his thirsty ears._  
  
"But I cannot forget  
Refuse to regret  
So glad I met you  
Take my breath away  
Make everyday  
Worth all of the pain that I have  
Gone through  
And mama I've been cryin'  
Cause things ain't how they used to be  
She said the battles almost won  
And we're only several miles from the sun  
  
Moving on down the street  
I see people I won't ever meet  
Think of him, take a breath  
Feel the beat in the rhythm of my steps  
And sometimes it's a sad song"_

Heero looked from the girl to Duo, then back again. And he smiled._  
  
"But I cannot forget  
Refuse to regret  
So glad I met you  
Take my breath away  
Make everyday  
Worth all of the pain that I have  
Gone through  
And mama I've been cryin'  
Cause things ain't how they used to be  
She said the battles almost won  
And we're only several miles from the sun  
  
The rhythm of a conversation  
The perfection of his creation  
The sex he slipped into my coffee  
The way he felt when he first saw me  
Hate to love and love to hate 'im,  
Like a broken record player  
Back and forth and here and gone  
And on and on and on and on"_

As the chorus repeated, both men looked at each other, and for a small eternity, everything disappeared, all they could hear, was the siren's song, and the beating of their own hearts._  
  
"But I cannot forget  
Refuse to regret  
So glad I met you...."  
_

Purple eyes drank in cobalt blue.

_"Take my breath away  
Make everyday  
Worth all of the pain that I have  
Gone through..."  
_

Reluctantly they broke their gaze to look at the girl who sang her soul out for anyone that was willing to listen. As the song slowly ended, she gave a smile and stepped off the stage. The patrons of the joint gave her cheers and applause. She smiled sweetly and headed behind the bar. A soft piano song made it's presence known and soft conversations stirred up again.

Duo looked at Heero with a solemn gaze. He was about to speak when another person stood next to their table. He looked up to see the young songstress looking at him with bright brown eyes. He smiled at her, and she smiled back.

"Hello boys." She said in flawless English, she gave Heero a smile with a pixie like gleam in her eyes. "What's your poison?" She punctuated the question by putting her hand on her hip as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Heero looked at Duo, and then spoke for the first time that evening.

"Beer." She smiled and looked at Duo.

"Same." Duo spoke in an even tone, never letting his gaze waiver from Heero.

"Very good sir." She said in mock humor. "I'll be back in a sec." She walked towards the bar, and not two seconds later turned and headed back to their table with two beers in hand. She set one beer down in front of each man. "Right, there you go. Enjoy." She said as she turned to walk away, but was stopped by a question.

"What's your name?" Duo asked the waitress. She turned to give him an elfin smile._ She seems so..... familiar..._

"Name's Jade." She said as she gave a gracious bow. "Pleasure."

"Duo Maxwell." He said in a soft voice. One that made her smile wider.

"I know." He looked at her startled.

"You did?"

She snorted derisively. "Who doesn't know who Duo Maxwell is? You'd have to be dead or crazy not to know." She watched as his cheeks gained a little color. "Anyway, have to get back to work." She turned to leave when he stopped her again.

"I'm sorry, but you," He stopped and looked into her young pixie like face. "you just seem so, familiar. Have we met before?" He saw Heero give him a strange look.

She smiled. "And here I thought you had forgotten me." Both men looked at the mysterious girl. She laughed at their confused stares. "Ok, look, we have met before, but a long _long,_ time ago." Seeing as how that statement did not get through to them, she decided she might as well start from the beginning. She grabbed a chair from a near by table and straddled it. _How very un-lady like of me._ She thought sarcastically. "Hey Keisuke!" She yelled at the bartender. "I'm on break!"

"You can do that?" Duo looked at her with a grin.

"You can when your brother owns the bar." She threw a glance at the tall handsome bartender, with brown eyes and almond colored hair. Both looked at him, and then back at her. You could tell they were brother and sister, both had those big bright eyes, and same mischievous smile. "Anyway, you want to know where I'm from right?" She saw Duo nod. "Me too. I know that I'm from L2 originally, but how I ended up where I did was always a mystery to me." She crossed her arms over the back of the chair, and leaned her chin on her wrists. "I met you when you were with Howard. My brother and I were part of the sweepers for a while." Something clicked in Duo's mind, and the clarity that he got was blinding. "We had to join them, we had no other alternative. I was 13, and Keisuke was 17, we were all we had left. We figured if we joined the terrorists, we could get a sort of revenge, our parents and whatever else of our family, were killed when OZ soldiers invaded the colonies all those years ago." She smiled a sad little smile. "Anyway, I met you right before operation Meteor took place, I was one of the technicians working on Deathscythe, I built the control panels and shit like that. They thought that I did a good job too." Duo looked at the girl.

"If it wasn't for you, I could have died. Wait, you were that greasy little kid that was even more active than I was?" Duo looked at her incredulously.

"Yup!" She smiled like a fairy on speed. "But, after operation Meteor took place, we had nothing left to do, but pray that it succeeded, so I guess my brother and I came to Earth, and been here ever since." She looked off someplace. "This one came in one day few years back." She jerked a thumb towards Heero. "Tall, quiet, handsome, and a sociopath if I ever saw one." She laughed, and Heero gave her a death glare. "But a decent guy, saved my butt a couple of times. I tend to get into a lot of fights." She looked at Heero with a innocent gaze, but he just snorted and _grinned_. "Him an' Keisuke sometimes have late night Go games, sometimes Shogi if I hide the Go board. But he's a good guy, I've gotten him to talk once in a while, and he always mentions you for some reason." She said with a nonchalance that betrayed the gleam in her eyes. "Anyway, I've taken more time off work that I care to, so I'll let you guys finish your beers in peace. See ya later guys." She said as she got up and pushed the chair back into place, and began taking, as well as barking orders around the bar again. She headed straight to the stage and jumped on, she looked out on all of the people in the establishment.

"Alright, I feel like another song is comin' on. This one's for Heero and his friend. Hope you like it." She said as a sad solemn melody began to play out through the smoky bar.

_"Come to me  
Run to me  
Do and be done with me  
(Cold Cold Cold)  
Don't I exist for you  
Don't I still live for you  
(Cold cold cold)  
Everything I possess  
Given with tenderness  
Wrapped in a ribbon of glass  
Time it may take us but God only knows  
How I've paid for those things in the past  
_

_Dying is easy it's living that scares me to death  
I could be so content hearing the sound of your breath  
Cold is the color of crystal the snowlight  
That falls from the heavenly skies  
Catch me and let me dive under under  
For I want to swim in the pools of your eyes  
_

_I want to be with you baby  
Slip me inside of your heart  
Don't I belong to you baby  
Don't you know that nothing can tear us apart  
Come on now come on now come on now  
Telling you that  
I loved you right from the start...  
But the more I want you the less I get  
Ain't that just the way things are...  
_

_Winter has frozen us  
Let love take hold of us  
(Cold cold cold)  
Now we are shivering  
Blue ice is glittering  
(Cold cold cold)  
Cold is the colour of crystal the snowlight  
That falls from the heavenly skies  
Catch me and let me dive under  
For I want to swim in the pools of your eyes"_

As the song ended, she stepped off the stage and bowed to her public, but not before giving Duo and Heero a wink. She walked behind the bar and resumed her role of barmaid. Duo gave Heero a soft glance, and noticed that the young man in general was busy nursing his beer. He thought that the silence was deafening, so he thought he should be the one to break the ice.

"So, how's it been living in Japan so far? What have you been up to?" Duo asked uncertainly.

Heero looked up from his beer to stare into dark violet eyes that seemed almost black in the light. He put the glass down and sat back comfortably. "It's been alright I suppose." He started, _The most he's said all night, I'm finally making some progress._ Duo thought. "I've been teaching at a local high school, mostly computer classes, then I work for the Yoshika company when I'm not at the school." He looked off for a moment. "I've been ok."

"Got a wife? Kids? Since you never married Relena like she wanted." Duo automatically regretted saying it. _Oh shit! Fuck why did I have to say that?! God, now he'll think I'm trying to pry into his life. Well, that's what I want isn't it?_

"No. No. And I never thought of Relena that way. You know that, she was more of an ideal for me, a symbol for peace, not a symbol for love. At least not to me. Dr. J always said love was inconsequential to the mission, the mission came first, and that human emotions were to be ignored if not completely erased for one's psyche. So, I never thought about it. For all those years, I fought for peace for the colonies, for the Earth, but along the way, I forgot about myself. I always thought I would die in the war. I wanted to die in that war."

"But you didn't." He looked at Duo then. "I worried about you, you know? When you self destructed, I almost-" Duo caught himself, before revealing himself. "I just, didn't understand your logic. And that's all you are, a logical person. I just didn't understand why you would do something so stupid."

"You worried about me?"

Duo looked away as he crossed his arms on the table top. "Of course I did." Duo took another gulp from his beer. "I _Always_ did, Heero." With that statement left hanging in the air, Heero looked decidedly uncomfortable in his seat.

"Let's go get some fresh air." He said as he got up from the booth and made his way to the door. Duo, was more than inclined to follow. He laid a few yen on the table and nodded a good bye to Jade; the headed out into the night behind Heero.

To Be Continued...................

Author's Note: Ok, I know it's 4 days late, but it's only 4 days! I wrote it inbetween tests and I hope you like it. And the character Jade, well that's me in a nutshell. My friend Jana wrote the description, and I sorta worked around it. I hope you liked it! Leave Reviews! Next Episode should be a real doozy!

Heero: You had to make an appearence didn't you?

Me: Of course, I'm the author, i do what I want. _Sticks tongue out._

Heero: Child.....

Me: What did you say? Don't you want to know, I control you in here! Do you want to be a hamster?!

Heero: No ma'am.

Me: Thought so. _Smug smile_.


	18. Through The Looking Glass

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing.... Damn...

Pairings: 121

Warnings: Shonen Ai.

Author's Warning:_ Standard disclaimers, this one will have malexmale action, however light. Flames will not be tolerated and will be deleted at my discretion. This is a chapter that will contain material that may not be suitable for the yaoi impaired, do not flame me or leave insulting comments, I've had that happen before and I don't appreciate it. If you feel strongly against this, I **Strongly** suggest that you turn away from this page and find another fic to read, because frankly, flames only irritate me and insult others who like what we Shonen ai writers input in our stories. You have been warned._

**In The Valley Of The Diamond Dogs**

**By Black Dragon62**

Chapter 18: Through The Looking Glass

_This book was funded by deliberately starving a family of four in Tennessee. -George Carlin._

Silence.

Crickets chirping.

More silence.

A stolen glance.

Silence.

The pair had been walking in awkward silence for 20 minutes, but it was 20 minutes too long for one Duo Maxwell. He looked at Heero from the corner of his eye, but saw that the stoic man walked with his eyes in front of him. _Where are we going? This turn, that turn, cross the street cross that street. Hey look, a park._ Heero turned and walked onto the dirt path that was Chidori-ga-fuchi Koen, a park that was lined with row upon row of beautiful cherry blossom trees.

The night air was filled with the sweet scent of Sakura blossoms and wet earth. How lovely it seemed, a perfect picture, _a perfect dream_, Duo thought. _And with the perfect man_.

They walked along the lakes edge, watching as the moon's crescent reflection hit the sable blue water, a perfect white scythe in the dark blue depths. Heero stopped and looked around for something, and Duo stopped and looked at him puzzled. Finding what he searched for, Heero walked over to a wooden bench, partially hidden by a cherry blossom tree. He sat down and looked out on the water. Duo took the liberty of sitting next to him. They sat in silence for a few minutes, then Duo took it upon himself to break the ice.

"So, what are we doing here?" Duo asked the silent man.

Heero gazed out onto the moon's reflection in the mirrored water, and took a breath, then slowly released it. "I like coming here. It's quiet, and peaceful, it's a place where I come to think."

"About what?" Duo said uncertain that Heero would actually answer.

"Lot's of things."

"Such as...?"

Heero looked at him, then chuckled quietly to himself. He looked up at the midnight blue sky and placed his hands in his pockets. Relishing the cool breeze blowing it's way across his face. "I think about the past mostly. The mistakes we, or I made, the way things played out. I also think about the present, my job with the children, and the people in my life thus far. I also think about the other pilots, Trowa, Quatre, and Wufei, wonder how their lives are working out for them. Wondering if the have been happy and healthy, and enjoying life as it is meant to be. As you can probably tell, I have mellowed out quite a bit." He smiled. "I also think about my future, wonder if this is how my life will be led for the next 20 years or more. If I can retire and be an old man." He laughed out loud at the though of himself in a wheelchair, giving the nursing staff hell for thinking he needed a bed pan. "But what about you? All this time, we've been talking about me, but you never once brought yourself up in the conversation, that's not like you."

_No, it isn't like me is it? But what can I say? I've been a rockstar for the past 6 years and have been thinking, dreaming, and wanting you every day and night since we left? I must be cracked to say that. _"What about me?"

That caught Heero off guard. He blinked, startled at the question. "Well, what have you been up to? Besides touring and all that."

Duo sighed. "That's basically all I've done for the past couple years. Music has been my mission, I guess you could say. Not much else." Silence prevailed once again among the two of them.

Silence.

Wind rustling. Silence.

"Hey, let's get out of here." Heero said suddenly.

"Where are we going..." Duo looked at his watch. "At midnight?"

"Let's go to my place."

"Alright." Duo said a little shakily.

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They walked, they took the train. They walked some more. And all in silence. Turning this way, down this street, down that street. One more block, that turned into two, that turned into three. They ended up in a nice neighborhood after about a 25 minute walk from the train station, Duo was taking a look around. The neighborhood was very nice indeed, lots of small apartment buildings and houses were what made up the street. Heero stopped in front of a two story apartment complex, there was a stone wall about 7 feet high that separated the house from the street, with a little wooden block that had Japanese Kanji carved into it. Since Duo could not read Japanese, he assumed that it was Heero's name and the number of the house, which was in numbers, that read 422.

Heero pushed past the gate and walked up the concrete path to his front door. He looked back and saw Duo standing in the entrance way, he smiled. "Forgive me if it's a little messy." He said as he pushed his key in the lock and turned it, pushing the door open with a slight creak.

Duo followed him inside, and followed the example of taking off his shoes and leaving them on the ceramic tile by the door. All of a sudden he heard something that made the bile rise up in his throat.

"Max!" Heero hollered. "MAX! I'm home!" He yelled in no direction in particular. "MAX!!!"

"I wasn't aware-" Duo couldn't finish the sentence, for that was when a large German Shepard bounded out from a different room, and headed straight for Heero's open arms. Duo gaped as the large dog slobbered all over Heero's face, as he was playfully scratched and lavished with attention. "Um... your dog?"

Heero looked up from the dog's amber eyes to look Duo in his purple ones. He smiled as he wiped dog saliva from his face. "Yeah, this is Max. Max, this is Duo. Be nice you mongrel or you'll sleep in the backyard." He threatened as he introduced them. "He's a nice dog. Wouldn't hurt you if you're scared of him. Go on, pet him." Heero said with a smirk on his face.

"Um... No thanks, I think I'll pass." Duo said uncertainly.

"Come on, if you're going to be here for a while, you might as well get used to him. Trust me, he won't bite." Heero said, patting the dog on the top of his head.

Duo looked Heero straight in the eye. _I swear if this mutt bites me, you'll never hear the end of it Yuy._ He thought as he tentatively brought his hand out of his pocket, and slowly, ever so slowly, he reached the hand out to the dog. The dog looked at him puzzled, and carefully sniffed the hand that was offered to him. And he licked it. Duo smiled and patted the dogs soft hair, reveling in the fact that the dog absolutely loved the lavish attention.

Heero smiled, "I told you he wouldn't bite." He turned to put his jacket on the hook on the wall. Duo watched as he patted the dog's head, and slowly gulped. _Someone's been keeping in shape..._ he thought as he saw Heero slip the jacket off of his well muscled shoulders, which rippled and moved with every move he made. "You hungry?"

Duo looked up startled by the question. "Not really." He stood from his crouching position and wiped his hand across his leg to rid himself of the dog hair. "But if you are, I'd be willing to join you."

Heero walked to a doorway, and reached a hand to the wall to find a light switch. "No, I ate. Would like a tour of my home?" He said offhand. He walked into a room that seemed to be the sitting room. A quite spacious and lightly decorated room that simply radiated peace. The low wooden table covered a cream colored carpet which stretched from end to end of the room. The maroon couches seemed plump and over stuffed, yet looked inviting. The white curtains made little contrast against the off white walls, the ink paintings hung serenely on their little hooks and nails. Small potted plants were littered everywhere, from ferns to traditional bonsai trees. It seemed so unlike Heero, yet so much like him it was frightening. "Please, sit." He gestured to one of the couches while he took an arm chair for himself. Max walked in after Duo, and made his way over to his master, and contentedly curled on the floor with his head in his over sized paws.

Duo sat on the couch, and took off his jacket, and carefully placed it next to him. He watched as Heero stared at the low table, one that was neat and tidy, not a single magazine out of place, and not a speck of dust could leave a trace. "Actually," Duo said, trying to make some noise in the impossibly quite abode. "I would like a tour..." He looked up to see if Heero had any reaction.

He simply stood. "Alright." He began to walk into another room. The dog was content to stay put and sleep. "Right this way." He said as he flipped on another light switch. The one lighted a sparse kitchen, that seemed so clean and sterile that Duo got the perception that one needed a haz-mat suit to enter. "This is the kitchen. I just cleaned it, so watch your step, you might slip and fall on the tile." He said as he walked across the tiled floor to another door way. Another switch was flipped on. "This is my study. I have my computer and books here, this is where i work mostly." He said as he walked across the same cream colored carpet as the living room. He walked to another doorway, this one was already lighted. They had walked in a circle.

They were now standing in front of the door. Though Heero was facing a stair case. "Let's go to the second floor." He said as he walked up the carpeted stairs. Duo followed, looking at the different pictures on the wall. _A Monet, a Manet, a Degas? I didn't know he was into impressionism..._ His train of thought was derailed as he stepped onto the landing of the second floor. "Over there is guest room, the bathroom is that room there," He pointed to one room and then another. The he walked to one room whose door was closed. "This is my bedroom." He said as he put his hand on the knob to turn it. He hesitated, but only for a millisecond. He pushed the door open with a slight push, the dark room was illuminated by one solitary lamp on the bed side table. Heero reached over and turned the light on.

The room was in full light now. A bed stood by the window, it's light blue sheets and white pillow case showed tidiness. The dresser and bureau were a deep brown, the cream colored carpet was immaculate. A small bed side table was the same color as the rest of the furniture, yet this one was the only thing in the room that seemed to stand out. A lone photograph stood proudly in the middle, next to the lamp. The glare of the ceiling light made the image impossible to see, but as Duo moved closer, he saw the image reveal itself, and his mouthed opened the tiniest bit to let out a breath.

The photograph stood in a silver frame, the only other bit of color that was revealed in the lightly furnished room. Duo picked up the cold piece of metal and glass, and turned it over and over again in his hands. The he looked back to where Heero was standing. He hadn't moved. He was still standing in the doorway, with his head low and his hand on the wall switch. Duo turned his attention back to the picture, and placed it back on the table, where the image looked back up at him, with smiling eyes.

The image consisted of himself, with his arm slung around Heero's shoulders, smiling. He looked back to his friend.

"This is the only picture I've seen in your house." He said, referring to the picture on the table.

"I know." Heero said, without looking up.

"Why? And why is it in your room?"

Heero shrugged, and finally looked up. "I don't know." He walked over to where Duo was standing, and sat on his bed. "Maybe I thought it was the only one worth keeping. And I keep it in here because-" He stopped and stared at his sock covered feet. "Maybe because I couldn't sleep unless you were next to me. Maybe not physically. But remember, we shared rooms in boarding houses for years. And, this well, made it feel like that again. Maybe it made me feel like you were there when you actually weren't. Maybe it's the last thing I see when I go to sleep at night and the first thing I see when I wake up in the mornings. And it comforts me. I've come to terms with what I've been struggling with for the past few years, and, I just know that I needed you beside me." He ended his statement by looking up into the heart shaped face of his friend. "I needed you beside me."

Duo looked down into the face of his best friend. The only one that he could give that title to. And he knelt down in front of him, and placed a comforting hand on his. "Why didn't you say so?" He tilted his head to one side, and moved closer. Heero did the same, and their faces neared to one another. Their eyes closed in unison and for one brief moment in their eternity, their lips touched. Duo moved back a nanometer, and launched himself forward into Heero's arms, wrapping his own around the strong man.

_After everything... Finally..._ He thought as he was lost in a delirium of pleasure and happiness. Bodies pressed together, lips melded to one another. For a few brief moments, life... was.... good...

To Be Continued..................

Gomen Nasai for the extra long break!!!! I really didn't mean to be away for so long, it's just that, well, I was procrastinating. I'm sorry! _Hides_. But I promise that there are only.... _counts on fingers_ about two more chapies left. And I know all of you, if you still are reading, are very excited. Leave me reviews! Thank you! Since school is over and I'm taking a break, you can bet there will be more writing in store! Ja mata!


	19. Save Me

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing... Damn...

Pairings: 121

Warnings: Shonen Ai.

Author's Warning:_ Standard disclaimers, this one will have malexmale action, however light. Flames will not be tolerated and will be deleted at my discretion. This is a chapter that will contain material that may not be suitable for the yaoi impaired, do not flame me or leave insulting comments, I've had that happen before and I don't appreciate it. If you feel strongly against this, I Strongly suggest that you turn away from this page and find another fic to read, because frankly, flames only irritate me and insult others who like what we Shonen ai writers input in our stories. You have been warned._

Note: I know that this is long over due. It's been over a year since I updated this fic, so I thought that I should finally get to it. But one, my computer crashed, and now I have my handy laptop, and now I can type away and away.

**In The Valley Of The Diamond Dogs**

By Black Dragon62

Chapter 19: Saving Me

He pulled away from me, and I kept my eyes closed. Because if it was a dream, PLEASE let the dream continue in it's entirety.

"Duo?" Was the low sound I heard a few inches away from me. I opened one eye, and squinted a bit, then opened the other, and stared into Heero's face. I had nothing to say, there's nothing that I could say. I just knew, that words wouldn't be right at that point. So I just looked at him dumbly. "Are you ok?" He seemed to look a little panic. He might have thought That I didn't want him to kiss me, that I didn't want his affection, his love.

He couldn't be more wrong. I smiled into his face. I pulled his face closer to mine, and we kissed for a second time. Instead of the chaste kiss of a few minutes before, this one was filled with hunger, passion, lust, and want. I was pushed on my back, and my back hit the soft mattress beneathe me. I felt his hands rage over me. The next thing I knew, was that the lamp on the bedside table was being turned off, and my world was turned upside down.

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I woke up, and I was wrapped in a blanket of warmth, with arms entangled around me. I blinked my eyes open, and turned over, and saw his solemn and angelic face, fast asleep an inch and a half away. I sighed, feeling warm and satisfied. Inspiration struck me, and I had to write it down, sing it, do something.

I stood slowly, making sure that I did not stir him awake, and I trodded silently over to the dresser, and tried to find a paper and a pen somewhere. I was starting to get frustrated because I could not find anything, not the back of a receipt, nothing. So I walked into his closet, and started to look around, and I found it. A guitar. I didn't know he could play.

I thought about that as I walked down stairs, stark naked and a little sweaty. I sat on the couch, and the dog named Max came in, looked at me for a second, then came over and laid down next to the couch on the floor. I laid the guitar in my lap, and I strummed. Nothing wrong with it. Perfectly tuned. I started to stum a tune, I didn't know what I was thinking, but I started to sing softly.

Unnoticed, Heero had felt the empty spot, and had come down the stairs, to see a naked Duo, playing his black guitar, and singing these sad lyrics:

_Prison gates won't open up for me  
On these hands and knees I'm crawlin'  
Oh, I reach for you  
Well I'm terrified of these four walls  
These iron bars can't hold my soul in  
All I need is you  
Come please I'm callin'  
And oh I scream for you  
Hurry I'm fallin'_

_Show me what it's like  
To be the last one standing  
And teach me wrong from right  
And I'll show you what I can be  
Say it for me  
Say it to me  
And I'll leave this life behind me  
Say it if it's worth saving me_

I looked up, and saw him staring at me, and I didn't stop singing. I needed to get these feelings out, and this was the only way that was going to be able to do.

_Heaven's gates won't open up for me  
With these broken wings I'm fallin'  
And all I see is you  
These city walls ain't got no love for me  
I'm on the ledge of the eighteenth story  
And oh I scream for you  
Come please I'm callin'  
And all I need from you  
Hurry I'm fallin'_

_Show me what it's like  
To be the last one standing  
And teach me wrong from right  
And I'll show you what I can be  
Say it for me  
Say it to me  
And I'll leave this life behind me  
Say it if it's worth saving me_

_Hurry I'm fallin'_

I saw him come over, and sit across from me, naked, and looking decidedly curious. He crossed his legs, and listened intently.

_All I need is you  
Come please I'm callin'  
And oh I scream for you  
Hurry I'm fallin'_

_  
Show me what it's like  
To be the last one standing  
And teach me wrong from right  
And I'll show you what I can be  
Say it for me  
Say it to me  
And I'll leave this life behind me  
Say it if it's worth saving me_

And by the end of my song, he knew my sentiments. I wanted him to save me. To help me. To get me out of this life I was stuck in. The prison I was in, was the lime light, and I needed to be free. I needed to be with him. I just wish he knew it.

To Be Continued...

Confrontation up next! Stay tuned for the next installment! Ok ok, so I took the safe way out. Don't throw things! -Ducks-


	20. Shoot the Moon from the Sky

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing... Damn...

Pairings: 121

Warnings: Shonen Ai.

Author's Warning: _Standard disclaimers, this one will have malexmale action, however light. Flames will not be tolerated and will be deleted at my discretion. **This chapter, WILL contain very stronge language, and words, themes, and ideas that will not agree with everyone. I'm sorry, but it was something that I had to put in the story, they are not my personal feelings, so do not persecute me. **If you feel strongly against this, I Strongly suggest that you turn away from this page and find another fic to read, because frankly, flames only irritate me and insult others who like what we Shonen ai writers input in our stories. You have been warned_.

Note: I know that this is long over due. It's been over a year since I updated this fic, so I thought that I should finally get to it. But one, my computer crashed, and now I have my handy laptop, and now I can type away and away.

**In The Valley Of The Diamond Dogs**

**By Black Dragon62**

Chapter 20: Shoot the Moon from the Sky

_Come away with me in the night  
Come away with me, and I will write you songs  
Come away with me, on a bus  
Come away with me where they can't taint us with their lies._

_-Come away with me, Nora Jones._

He sat there, for a long while. I don't think he knew what to say. I didn't know what to say. So, we sat there, as the silence hung in the air like a giant tarp of uneasiness. I wondered what he was thinking. I wondered if he was thinking the message I had given him over and over in his head. But I still got no response. His body was rigid in the chair, yet, he didn't seem that concerned about moving just yet. The dog walked out of the room, and the silence remained. _Could you say something? Anything? Anything but letting the silence linger like this?_

I saw as he moved, he shifted in his chair. He looked at me, his piercing gaze lingering on mine for a split second, but then he stood. He ran his hands through his messy hair, and walked out of the room. I heard as his footsteps trailed up the stairs, and then, more silence. I blinked the surprise out of my eyes. What was there left for me to do? So I just sat there. I felt, as though my world had just fallen apart, like the stars in the sky that I used to look up at night, fell and cut me millions and millions of times like tiny shards of glass. Like the waters of my oceans dried up and left me thirsting for something that was so close to be tangible, but faded away like fog.

I wanted to cry. I did. I wanted to cry out and curse him for rejecting me. For not telling me that he loved me, the way I would have done in a heartbeat for him. I wanted to hate him, I wanted to do anything, anything, even erase him from my memory. I felt like I sat there forever, because he returned. He walked back into the room, wearing a blue baggy t-shirt and pinstriped blue pajama pants. I looked at him. I wasn't sure what expression I was giving him. Because to me, it felt like I was glaring, pleading, hating, loving, and crying all at the same time.

He sat adjacent to me, and folded his hands in his lap. He looked at me calmly, completely unaware of the heartache and pain he just sent me spiraling into. For a long moment, we just stared at each other, then he spoke.

"Well. That was unexpected." He said without a hint of emotion. I merely peered back at him. I shrugged. What did he want me to say?

"Well, I needed to get my feelings out, and that's how I do it. I never went to therapy, and I guess that's the closest I'll ever get." I replied as I looked down at my bare feet.

"Did you mean it?" He asked suddenly.

"Of course I meant it." I replied without hesitation. "I want it so bad." I thought for a second. "Don't you?"

He didn't answer. He just looked down at the ground, and then, after a few minutes, said in a quiet tone. "I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?" I asked heatedly. "We could have a good life together Heero, you and me. We could move somewhere, away from everything, away from the city, away from the people... a little place of our own, our little heaven. Our own sanctuary. Just you and me." I could feel the emotions I was feeling get caught in my throat. I could feel it burn and ache. "Just you and me..."

He didn't look at me. I don't think he knew what to say. I wanted him to say yes. I wanted him to agree, I wanted him to pack his bags and we be off this minute. Life be damned.

"You know I can't." He said.

"Why not? Hell, I could, and I will, if you just say go. I'll leave this rat shit of a life and be with you. I'll go anywhere. Anywhere, if I could be with you." I said, the lump growing a little more with every passing minute. It was threatening to choke me.

"I have my life here." He finally looked up at me, serious and deep solemn blue eyes. "I can't leave this all behind. I've worked too hard to just walk away from what took me 6 years to build."

"Then I'll move here. I'll live with you, or we can get a bigger place." I thought, trying vainly to swallow the saliva that was welling up in my mouth.

He didn't say anything. Just looked back down at the carpet. I didn't expect him to jump up and down for fucking joy, but I expected a smile, or something, at least a 'yes'. "You know that we can't."

"Why?" I said, my voice growing fainter with each word that I spoke. And my Adam's apple threatening to cut off my circulation. "Why can't we?"

"Because. It's not right." I looked at him, wanting desperately for him to elaborate. "Don't you think people would talk? Two men? Shacked up together? I'm telling you, it's not right. Not in this society." I looked at him with disbelief written all over my face.

"I can't believe you? Since when have you ever given a rat's wet ass what other people thought about you?" I asked, anger in my tone, but the lump still had not abated.

He just shook his unruly head. "Don't you think about what'd people would say? What if we couldn't control ourselves, this isn't some little thing that's happening here. I've waited for you. I've waited over 6 years. And in those six years, don't you think I've thought about this? But the Japanese society isn't as accepting as others. Even in the rest of the world, in the rest of the galaxy, we would still be stared at, persecuted, and judged just because we chose to love one another. Just because two MEN, love one another. I keep thinking and thinking, but really, there's no where for us to go." I looked at him, and hated him so unbelievably much. Then he spoke again, in a quiet tone. "Dr. J... he always said that this was not a life, loving another man, homosexuality, it was all things that made a man weak. Being a 'Faggot' as he called it, was looked down upon, and hated. And he said... that if he ever caught me doing something 'indecent', that he would be swift to castrate me and make me eat my own testicles."

I looked at him, the anger had faded from my gaze, instead, sympathy and understanding remained. "He said that?" All he did was nod. Now I understood. The man that had almost created Heero, had also instilled the fear in him, the fear that he would be humiliated if he chose to be someone else. I couldn't meet his eyes. "So... what's it gonna be like then?"

"I don't know." He said simply. "Maybe we could get away for a couple of days, you know, way the hell out of nowhere." He looked at me then. "That's the best I can do."

"That's not good enough!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. A few tears escaped as I clenched my fists so tightly that my knuckles turned white. He looked at me, and didn't say anything. I stood, my naked form shaking form head to toe. "I'm not like you! I can't make it on a couple of get a ways or a couple of fucks once or twice a year! I want something real, something I can go home to at night..." I shook a little harder. "I can't do it! I wish I could, but I can't. You have no idea what it's like, I miss you so much that it hurts something bad." I started to cry, I shut my eyes, and sat on the couch. I couldn't help the emotion streaming forth from me.

Heero stood, and he walked over to me, and he placed his arms around me. He held me tight. "Shhh." He whispered to me, and I shook a little harder. I pushed him away, but he wouldn't go. The frustration that had been pent up for 6 years, was pouring out of me like rain. "We'll make it work. I promise."

I let go, and I walked away from him. I walked upstairs, and got my clothes back on. I slipped on my shoes at the door and looked at him, still kneeling in the spot where I had left him. "You know Heero. If you change your mind... You know where to find me." I stepped through the door, and shut it behind me. I stepped out into the dawn and walked to the front of his place, and looked up at it. Mind completely blank.

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I woke with a start. I looked around, and I for a moment, I didn't know where I was. My pillow was wet, and so where the sheets. I rubbed my eyes, and looked at the clock. It was 3 in the morning. _But... how?_ I heard the door open, and in stepped Hilde. She pulled a tattered old blue bathrobe around her shoulders as she walked across my room over to where I lay.

"You ok?" She asked me as she sat down next to me on the mattress. It squeaked under her weight.

"Yeah... why?" I asked her. Unsure of what she was thinking.

"Well, I heard you yelling in your sleep, and I was wondering..." She said uncertainly. She didn't get a chance to continue her sentence because I asked her a question of my own.

"When are we leaving?" She looked at me puzzled.

"Leaving where?" She asked, placing a hand over mine.

"Leaving Japan. When are we going home?" I asked her.

"Oh Duo." She said, her voice slightly cracking. "We are home." I looked at her strangely. I knew it, because the tears started to well up in her eyes. "You've had the dream again." I wasn't sure what she was talking about.

"Hilde.. are you alright? You know that we're in Japan? That we've finished all the concerts, now we can go home." I said, trying to get her to stop looking at me like that.

"No Duo. You've had your dream again." She tightened her grip on my hand slightly. "Duo. We're here. In the salvage yard..." She looked over to the bedside table. Then she looked back at me, her face slightly calmer, but her eyes full of fresh tears. "You haven't taken you medication again." It wasn't a question. I looked at her, unsure of what she was talking about, and panic starting to rise up in me.

"What are you talking about Hilde? You know that I just got in? I saw Heero tonight?" I said.

She started to cry, and not that controlled crying, she was on the verge of hysterics. "Oh Duo!" She flung her arms around my neck and sobbed into my shoulder. After a few minutes, she emerged, eyes red and puffy.

"Hilde-" She placed a finger over my lips.

"Duo, you know Heero's been dead for about seven years." She said lowly.

I blinked, and started to laugh. "But, that's not possible... I've seen him just now-" I stopped at the complete look of sadness in her eyes. "haven't I?"

"Duo... He died in battle seven years ago... you just had a dream." She said calmly.

"But, Quat and Tro and Fei... They were here too." I started to say.

She merely shook her head. "Duo, Quatre and Trowa were killed as well... 8 years ago, and Wufei committed suicide after Meiran died... and that was 7 years ago." She started to cry again. "I don't know why you do this to yourself! Why do you refuse to take your medication! You know you get these nightmares, and yet you still refuse..." I had tuned her out.

Dead? All of them dead? Then I remembered. I remembered it clearly, like a fresh cut in my flesh. All of my friends... dead and buried. Hilde was still talking... but I wasn't listening.

So this was reality. Being a rockstar, and traveling the worlds, and having my lover beside me... they were just dreams. I looked over to the bedside table, and grabbed the pills there and swallowed them dry. Hilde stopped talking and looked at me again.

"Why do you torture yourself like this Duo?" She asked me in a quiet voice.

I didn't answer her. I merely sank back into my bed, and pulled the sheet up to my neck. Hilde took the hint and left the room. I looked up at the ceiling of my small room in the salvage yard, and thought back to my dream. It had seemed so real. I thought simply. Heero...

He was the last thought I had before the pills took hold of me. And I sank into a deep, dreamless sleep.

The End.

Ok. You can tell me how much I suck now for killing everyone. But I had to do it! Don't kill me! -Hides- But, -sigh- all good things must come to an end. I don't think I could have kept writing this, even if I could write it forever. It had to end. Now it has. Leave comments! p.s Thanks to everyone who has stuck with me and read and reviewed it. I'm working on other stuff, so don't worry, I'll be back.


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